The Big Box Challenge - Creative Home Keeper

Ready to start decluttering your house but don’t know where to start? How about with the Big Box Challenge? It’s simple, only takes a few minutes, and allows you to give your home a quick sweep through before you actually begin the process of a big room-by-room overhaul.

This year let’s create a haven at home with the 52-week home project. Small, managable weekly tasks and challenges to create a space that promotes peace, inspires creativity, nurtures your family and is not only more organized but also runs with more purpose and intention.

To catch up on all the previous projects, head here.

Last Week’s Project

Sometimes the clutter around your house is too much and requires a simple sweep through before you can even begin the real work of decluttering and organizing.

Countertops, desks, dressers and other hard surfaces are notorious for being catch all spots for all those odds and ends that you don’t know what to do with, you need to throw away but aren’t ready or just don’t know what to do with. Or maybe you have a closet or shelf where you stuff things that you don’t want to deal with but really just needs to go.

This week just give yourself permission to walk through your home and get rid of the junk and stuff that really has no value and just needs to go. This week take the Big Box Challenge (or bag challenge if you don’t have a cardboard box handy!) 🙂

Project #4: The Big Box Challenge

Gather a large box, preferably a cardboard one so you don’t have to empty the contents before you donate. If you don’t have a large box, use a trash sack.
Set a goal of how many items you would like to collect. This could be something like 5 items per room or even 7 items a day. Be specific for your home and decluttering needs.
Walk through your home room-by-room. Give each room a scan and place items you are ready to depart with in the box. Don’t think too hard about this, just gather those items that are no longer being used, enjoyed, or played with. It’s best to get your family’s input on this too, don’t discard belongings that belong to others. If you have young kids, make a game out of it but really explain to them that what they place in the box they won’t have anymore.
Sort through the box to throw away any items that aren’t in good condition to donate.
Place the box in your car to drop off at your nearest donation center. If you don’t have one nearby, schedule a pickup with a local charity. Don’t let the giveaway box remain in your home, it will only add more clutter or you may even be tempted to go through it again to “rediscover” items. It’s best to just part with it as quickly as possible.

My Progress and Results

In all honesty, I am running behind schedule this week so I don’t have any results to share yet.

It’s been a busy, crazy week and I was only able to go through one room. I’ll be completing this project, along with next’s week project and sharing the results next Sunday

A New Project for a New Week

Each week I’ll share a new challenge to help us tackle one small area of our homes.

Some weeks it might be a deep cleaning task, some weeks it might be a decluttering task, some weeks it might be a challenge to help you create a space you love, and some weeks it might be a combination of a few different challenges.

The goal for the 52-Week Home Project is to have a home that is not only more organized but also runs with more purpose and intention and just feels more peaceful and calm.

The Next Project

Sometimes it feels like there are so many projects around the house, so many tasks that need to be done, so many closets or areas of clutter to be sorted through… just so many things!

I am a victim of being paralyzed by being overwhelmed. When the to-do list is long, I often don’t even know where to start!

Can you relate?

I recently read a book (I’ll be sharing more specific details and thoughts about it soon!) that outlined the idea of giving your house a room-by-room walk through. Not to clean or pick up clutter but to write down anything and everything that needs to be done.

Instead of walking through your house with a big box, trash bag or cleanings supplies, all you are going to need is a notebook and a pen. Instead of gathering items to move to their appropriate places or to get rid off, we are going to make a master to-do list of tasks that need to be completed, projects to finish, and areas to organize and sort through.

Instead of allowing all of those unfinished projects or tasks to remain cluttered in our brain as clutter, we are going to write them down. So gather a notebook and a pen, and start walking through your house room by room!

Project #5: The House Walk Through

Survey each room. Start at the doorway, move around the perimeter, look up at the ceiling, on the walls, under furniture, in the middles of the room and in all closets and cabinets.
Write down any to-list items that need to be completed like changing out lightbulbs, removing a stain from the carpet, washing the bedding, fixing a broken blind, repaint a chipped wall area, etc.
Write down any areas that need to be sorted through, purged and organized like room closets, cabinet drawers, overflowing toy box, junk drawers, bookshelves, etc.
Think through areas that hinder your family’s routines. Does a bathroom vanity need to be better organized for morning tooth brushing to get everyone out of the door easier? Can your children easily find their daily belongings? Is it impossible to pull out basic cooking supplies from your overstuffed pantry or refrigerator?
Think through the physical room arrangement. Is the furniture placed in well thought areas for the most space? Do you need to move furniture around, out of a room or into a different room? Do you like how the room looks and feels?
Ask yourself what changes need to be made. This could be as simple as adding updated new family photos. Maybe the room layout needs to be changed. Think through any decorating updates or changes you wish to make but do be aware, while it’s fine and fun to think through what you would like to do to a room, don’t forget to take into account your time and budget. It does absolutely no good to start making plans to repaint or buy new furniture, or plan a kitchen remodel, if it is not in your budget or you haven’t discussed the plains with your spouse.
Take all of your notes and write out one master to-do list organized by rooms and in priority of importance, what projects you will work on or complete first.