Updated: Jun 25, 2021
30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge!
How many times do we walk by, move, touch, look at or look past things we don't want? We may not register these things in our conscious mind, but what does it do to our subconscious mind to constantly not deal with unwanted things in our personal space?
When we have a donation station, it's easier to put on reality goggles to see what we're surrounding ourselves with and let go of unwanted items creating clutter. .
A designated, easy-to-access, out-of-the way Donation Station can help make it easier to let go of items as soon as we see them. Instead of letting our eye or hand (or foot!) pass over unwanted/unused items, we can take them right to the donation station.
Rather than saying - often subconsciously - "I'll do that later," we can stay conscious and train our brains to really SEE what's around us.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: If this One Thing doesn't speak to you, choose One Thing you can clear or clean to make this day better and brighter 🌞
One Thing #2 has two parts:
⭐️ Part 1 - SET UP
Make a designated place for unwanted items go and make sure everyone in your household knows where it is. Choose an out-of-the way place, but not so out-of-the way you won't use it.
Use open topped boxes, paper bags, or nice-looking containers (mine are above) - just make sure it's very easy to toss things in. More details on the donation station below.
⭐️ Part 2 - TAKE A WALK
Grab one of your Donation Station containers, or any good-sized container, then walk around the house with fresh eyes - does anything pops out that can be let go of? Go with your gut.
If nothing is obvious, open cupboards, drawers, closets, or look at bookshelves and knick-knacks. Look as if you were your Future Self visiting your Current Self, or as if you were looking through the eyes of loved one (or a dream loved one!)
If you can fill more than one container, great! if you don't fill the container, great! There's no right or wrong. This is just about seeing with fresh eyes and letting go of items that no longer speak to you.
🌺 MY DONATION STATION: I keep 3 foldable containers in my laundry room and any time I come across something I don't wear, don't want, don't use, or that I overbought or am just bothered by, I put it in one of the containers.
Sometimes they're categorized - clothes, books, food, etc - other times they're completely random. When they get full and I'm heading somewhere near a place I can donate, I put unwanted items in a bag or box, put it right into my car and donate it.
Do I sometimes take things back out to keep? Yes :) Do I sometimes have overflowing containers before I empty them? Yes :) Do I beat my Self up about it? No :)
⭐️ TIP ⭐️
Keep bags right next to the containers to make it easy to grab-n-go.
⭐️ DONATION STATION LOCATION ⭐️
I don't like to have my donation station in the way or causing visual clutter, but I do have it inside my house near my car so it's VERY easy to empty and take things to my car.
I'd love to hear how it goes in an email or in the TidyWild Facebook group...
Happy Spring Cleaning!
xo
Spring