Missed the first few days’ assignments? You can see all the posts in the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series here.
After a sort of “off” day yesterday, I’m hoping to have a more productive day today — and hopefully get everything on this list done, plus my bedroom cleaned since I slacked on that yesterday. I’ll be posting my re-cap at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight since the live webcast is at 8 p.m. EST.
Day 4 Assignment
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}
::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}
::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom. Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.
::Clean out underneath your beds and furniture. Remove clutter and trash and put it away or throw it away. Move the furniture (if possible) and vacuum underneath.
::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.
Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.
At 7:30 p.m. EST tonight, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too. Here’s to our productivity today!
So I am a little behind I didn’t get to the challenge today. After my moms group was done I had a really high blood pressure and spent the afternoon sleeping so it would go down. I think I am going to get my son to help me clean out under the couch since he has lost a ton of toys under there!
I like the 7 things to get rid of today. My challenge is always that box/bag gets in my way or sits on the counter or by the door forever until we make it to town. Now I just pre load it in the car so it is out of the way and I wont forget it. I l♡ve being stuffless!!!
My house is looking cleaner and is more organized every day now thanks to this challenge. Even just having direction to one room i.e. clean the fridge, has helped. I find myself in there cleaning that room top to bottom so it’s been a great motivator.
See you on the live chat tonight!
Are we doing the oven this week- cause I got that! I did it week before last and let me just say I had (embarrassed) never done the oven I own now. I was even more thrilled that I managed to do it without chemicals.
I’m using my task list from yesterday and have a feeling I’ll be using it tomorrow too! Just super busy with unexpected “stuff” this week. But at least I’m doing something. I get so overwhelmed by our messiness and clutter that I don’t even know where to start some days:( We have a 5 year old in preschool (whose on spring break, so our whole schedule is off this week), 2 1/2 year old twins, and the baby just turned 1. I stay home with them and look at the housework as my “job” but feel really bad about my housekeeping abilities or lack there of. This challenge is helping me to feel better about myself, so thank you Crystal!
If I lived at home I’d love to join!
My house could use some cleaning and organizing to say the least 😉
I cleaned out my freezer earlier. I went to go post about it over at blogger but, I can’t get it to come up. Is anyone else having this problem?
I love this- Every “big” item you posted so far (fridge, freezer and cleaning under the the couches and beds) got done this past weekend. I wanted to tell everyone how i do my bathroom cleaning (we only have one, its not very big- but we do have a nice size linen closet)- when my 17 month old daughter plays in the bathtub I clean something- On Tuesdays I clean the toilet and the sink, on Thursdays I clean the medicine cabinet and organize/clean the linen closet- on Sat/Sun I do the floor and clean the bathtub. It works for us- does not take much time but everything gets cleaned/organized every week!
That’s a great idea, and keeps it from becoming a huge job!
This challenge has come at the perfect time for me! I am nesting horribly with this pregnancy and have been lost trying to clean on my own. I love this!!! My house is looking better every day!!! Unfortunately, I have to wait for my hubby to get home in order to move our bed…but everything else is done! Woo Hoo!
I am seriously failing at this challenge! I work outside the home and have managed to do everything in the daily challenge that is NOT in bold on the list. I think the note says to do it the other way around, but cleaning my fridge, freezer and getting under furniture in three consecutive days during the work week is impossible for this crazy working mommy! Maybe this weekend I’ll catch up.
Don’t feel bad, that’s my situation as well! Although the purse cleaning was easy because I only carry a very small one.
That’ll probably be me next week. There’s no way I could’ve done all of that, but I’m on spring break this week, so that’s why I’ve stayed on top of it. Do some of it over the weekend! Something is better than nothing!
Just jump in where you can! It is not a contest to see who can do the most, the point is too do SOMETHING! As Emilie Barnes would say, 15 minutes a day and you are on your way to more hours in your day! Smiles and Blessings!
Bathrooms and cleaning under beds and most of the furniture is on my regular weekly chores list however, cleaning under the couch and loveseat is another matter. I think they weight as much as small automobiles and I cannot move them even a few inches! But, our youngest son is home from college for spring break this week so I am going to put that on hubbies Sat chore list and the males can do it! 🙂
With only 6+ weeks to go in this pregnancy, there is no outfit that makes me look great, so I’m already at a disadvantage, heehee 🙂
But seriously, I did get up early (earlier than usual anyhow), and wrote out a list of to-dos. I need to get my devotional in while my little one is busy playing, since she’s the reason I woke up early 🙂
I have LOVED getting rid of 7 things every day. It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be too. Thanks for posting this series, Crystal. I really appreciate the motivation and inspiration. I feel good that there are still little things I can do to maintain an organized home even while on partial bed rest…I was starting to feel like I couldn’t keep up, but now I have some semblance of order and control in our home 🙂
Just scrubbed both bathrooms-Eww-that should have been done way before now, although they get bad fast. Onto the easier part of vacuuming-that I can handle!
Yay! I’m excited to jump on the bandwagon and join in!! 🙂 {Been a little pre-occupied with a Seder dinner at our church last night my husband and I planned } Thanks for the motivation of Spring cleaning! 🙂 🙂 Off to get the list started…!
Oh no! I’m not sure if I can tackle this one! We have seven beds, a futon, three couches, and three recliners…I agree, though, I’m looking forward to each day’s assignment and trying to get it done. I’ll try to get the kids to help me with this one 🙂
I am loving this series! Especially the “throwing out 7 things” part. You don’t realize how much stuff you hold on to until you’re forced to toss it. Great motivation 🙂
Oh boy! underneath the furniture! I don’t know if the world is ready for pictures of what is under my couch! I don’t know if I am ready!
I feel you on that one! :/
love this series! todays chore makes me glad all our mattresses are on the floor, nothing hides under them 🙂 good thing the bathrooms are on there, the kids on smells!
Kids bathrooms always smell bad 🙁 Even after ours all grew up that bathroom still has a funny smell. I guess 33 years of it being a kids bath is not something that can be scrubbed away.
Oh good, we’re not the only ones with a constantly smelly kids bathroom. (sigh of relief) I don’t get it because even when it’s squeaky clean it still stinks!
We’ve had that problem before too. One time it was a leaky toilet seal that leaked into the floorboards, rotting and thus making the wood stink. No matter how much I scrubbed that bathroom, there was NO way I could get rid of the rotting wood smell. You might want to consider removing the toilet and checking for that. The only expense is a new toilet ring seal, but you may discover the root of the stinky problem as well.
I personally think it is from urine getting on the floor around the toilet. If it is there any length of time it seems to leave its odor behind. I have found vinegar straight on to help this a lot. You might try that?
We live in a slab home, so that’s not really possible.
While I want to work on starting the challenge this weekend, I work full time and it has been a little nutty this week, I quick read over about cleaning the bathroom. I love having a few extra ideas on how to clean it a little faster, especially while the kids are taking a bath!
This is getting me super motivated! My house is looking so much better and the day feels less hectic! Thanks so much Crystal!!
I am a couple days behind, so I just cleaned my fridge. So I am really going to have clean under my bed in a few days??? Yikes… 🙂
I have a robot vacuum so under my furniture gets vacuumed every day. I can’t even express how wonderful that machine is!
Oh no! My baby HATES the vacuum. My mom is coming for a while today, maybe I’ll have Mom take her on a walk while I vacuum.
My husband is cleaning the bathroom now so I should probably tackle the fridge!
He can come over and do our bathrooms next. 😉
Sure! He never did it before but I’m pregnant and don’t want to be near the chemicals so he’s just on temporary bathroom duty (and he’s actually at work right now but cleaning them weekly for our family).
Is it bad that everyday I wrote down bathrooms on my to-do list but I was hoping that it would show up on one of the challenges? Same with cleaning under the couches, especially with wood floors things get hidden underneath them.
We are headed to a strawberry farm and to learn how to make strawberry jam the Korean way (not sure how different it could be from American…) and then will be working on my bathroom and couches.
Just did the freezer, so I’m all caught up and ready for this assignment!
I actually think I am addicted to this challenge! 🙂 I went to work out and had to hurry home to see what you had in store for me today. My house is looking so much better already! I love it!!
Love it!
How did I know the bathroom was going to be on the list today???!!! 🙂
Good thing I already cleaned the trash cans out yesterday. I’m glad you posted that link to the bathroom cleaning guide though. That will certainly help it go faster! I’m going to try and attempt getting both of our bathrooms cleaned, since the downstairs is just a half bath.
Cleaning out from underneath my bed will be a chore, since we store quite a few things under there. Unfortunately, it’s not very organized, and I feel confident that’s where my 7 things will come from today! I can slide my couch out a little ways myself so I’ll just try to clean and vacuum however much I can move it.
Looking forward to another productive day!