28 days

Day 25:  Declutter Kids’ Spaces (or Your Own “Fun” Space)

Today’s challenge is to declutter your kids’ areas to create space for new things that are on their way from Santa and you and relatives. I habitually declutter my kids’ rooms this time of year, because in addition to the inflow of stuff from Christmas, both of my kids have birthdays during the holiday season. In years past (back when they were into toys) this time of year meant such an overflow of new stuff coming in, that I’d wake up Christmas morning to total chaos and a huge decluttering and organizing project. Once I got tired of ending the holidays overwhelmed, I started creating space earlier—in the months leading up to all my kids’ gift-receiving holidays. This makes for a much more relaxed Christmas Day for me. So it’s all worth the effort now.

This is a great time to pull out that timer and decluttering container again. Then, simply go into your kids’ spaces (bedroom, playroom, etc.) and look for things they no longer use or need. This is also a great time to bring your kids into the decluttering process. The earlier you get your kids involved in organizing and letting go of things they no longer need, the easier your life will be in the long run. As always, focus on progress. What can you get done, or how many items can you let go of, in just fifteen minutes? You may feel so encouraged by your progress that you decide to set the timer for another fifteen minutes. Do this as many times as you can between now and Christmas, and you, too, will be much more relaxed and happy on Christmas morning.

QSCC

By the way, if you want even more ideas for decluttering and organizing with your kids, and involving them in the process, the content from my Organizing with Your Kids class is now available in our self-paced online format.

Now…if you don’t have kids living at home with you right now, I’ve got a little challenge just for you. That challenge is to declutter one of your “fun” spaces. What’s a fun space? Well, it’s the place where you keep things you think are really fun. Now, I’m not suggesting you get rid of all of your fun stuff (that would be mean), but rather, I’m suggesting that you creating a little bit of space for new fun stuff you might be getting for Christmas.

For some of you, your fun space is your craft room. Or, if you love to collect shoes or purses or clothes, your fun space could be your closet. And, if you love kitchen gadgets or cookbooks, your fun space is your kitchen. If you love to collect and read books, your fun spaces are your bookcases. (My guess is, you know where your fun space is.)

Alright my friends, we’re nearing the end of the 28 Day Challenge! Hope you and your homes are doing great and that you enjoy today’s challenge.

Happy decluttering,

Aby