Cleaning Up Clutter Challenge

Today I challenge you in cleaning up clutter around your house. It's far easier than you think. In just minutes a day you can get much done! #WomenLivingWell #homemaking #friendship #makingyourhomeahavenIf you have accepted the Fall Challenge, your candles are lit, soft music is playing and you’re praying for peace. Are you feeling a difference? We are!

When I told my husband about this next challenge he said “you really should have a guest post for that one!” We laughed – Why? Because it’s about dealing with clutter – one of my weak spots.

Here’s week #3’s Challenge: List a few of the spots in your home that make you visually stressed because of all the clutter. Now go buy something for that spot – like a basket to put it all in! Work on cleaning up clutter. Throw things away. While you’re at it – clean up some clutter in your spiritual life. What gets in the way of your peace spiritually?

We have a two part challenge – first let’s strive for creating a haven:

1. Pick an area of your home where clutter collects and put something there to contain it. For example, I keep a basket at the bottom of our stairs to collect all the little things that need to go upstairs. My family agrees that we need a bigger basket – one the size of a laundry basket would be more appropriate because often we are carting up stuffed animals, books, toys, my purse etc.

Put a bin to catch papers in the kitchen, office, family room etc. – as you can see mine is overflowing. I told you my husband suggested a guest post on this one lol!!!

I also love using buckets to organize – you can read about that at this link!
2. Set a timer for 20 minutes, grab a trash bag and walk through your house throwing stuff away! Throw away old magazines, broken toys, papers etc. The rule is if you haven’t used or worn it in a year – either give it away or throw it away. Clutter attracts clutter. If you are a pack rat this is a challenge – take this challenge – you won’t regret it and trust me you won’t miss these things! Things will never make you happy. Unused clutter only weighs you down.

 

Now on to the spiritual part – let’s get down to business!
I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1. Pause here at your computer and answer this question…what sin have I not confessed?

Now confess it! That’s all and be free!
All of us carry the stain of sin. Sin is something we all have in common. At any moment we may sin again…

Often times we let ourselves off the hook too easily. We justify our sin saying “I’m just discerning not judgemental. I’m just truthful not rude. I’m just sharing prayer requests not gossiping”

 

Anne Graham Lotz says “Repentance must be a spiritual discipline or you will become a hypocrite. Root out basic sins early in your life.” Most of Women Living Well’s readers fall in the 20-40+ range…we are young! Root out those sins now before they become habits – do not get cozy with sin!

So today – this is a call to repentance. I am down on my knees with you and I want all of us to be right with God. Practice repentance daily – free yourself of spiritual clutter.

 

If you are participating in this challenge leave a comment below with how it’s going – if you are a blogger copy this button into your blog post, write about how it’s going and link up below!

You are all doing an amazing job so far! I so appreciate you joining me on this journey!!! Persevere!

 

Walk with the King!
I am linking up here :

27 Comments

  1. These challenges have all been so, challenging:) But it's been great! This one however is my weak weak WEAK spot!!! I want our bedroom to be a haven, but it's a clutter den. Two kitchen counters catch papers, mail, a just junk!!! I am seriously pulling out all the stops and am going to DECLUTTER this house!!!

    And I love the spiritual application. Thank you Lord that all we have to do is repent and turn, and He washes us whiter than snow.

    Thank you for your faithful blogging, you are such an encouragement to me:)

  2. I am EXCITED for this challenge…

    I cannot stand clutter but its pretty much impossible to avoid!

    I have always used little baskets to store away the clutter but I need to make sure I check it and go thru it once a week…

    currently gathering a huge bag of clothes for goodwill..
    Love the trash idea, esp in the kids bedrooms..

  3. We just downsized from a house to a condo so right now the only really cluttery area is my craft corner. I need to sort it all into neat setions but just don`t know how to break it all up so that it is done affordably and is convenient but looks nice.

  4. Wow! What a coincidence. I spent this entire weekend clearing out clutter. It was amazing what I unearthed. I threw out 3 trash bags full of junk, filled 2 trash bags with clothes of my daughters that were too small to give to a little girl in her school that I am worried about, and found reminders of things I longed to do sometime when I had "time". Not only did I feel like a load had been lifted from my shoulders, but it cleared my head from worrying about the messes, AND my husband commented on what a great job I did and how nice the house looked! It was so worth the time. Thank you for reminding me of cleaning my spiritual clutter as well and suggesting the baskets and buckets. Love your posts Courtney. I have truly been blessed by this site.

  5. Hmmm. I guess confessing our sins as we go is like trying to keep the inbox in the kitchen to a minimum. I designated a cabinet in the kitchen to house a clear box for coupons, one for recipes, a section for the kids papers (that I later put in a notebook to thumb thru for the year) and all my mommy supplies. (Sharpie, scissors, glue, holepunch) Then I have a notebook to house my Master grocery sheets, restaurant menus, church phone numbers, etc. So therefore, I dont have a inbox on the counter any more.
    Its my heart thing I need to work on. Thanks for the reminder!

  6. Courtney,
    I think my husband would love your cartoon about a clean house being the sign of a broken computer! It tends to describe me these days. We are a military family stationed overseas, so this is the only way I get to communicate with my family. I will take this challenge and turn off my computer and repent of my overusage of the computer!!
    Thanks,
    Sarah L.

  7. I LOVE the challenges–Michael W. Smith playing, spice cake candle burning now looking around to see that my bar is the hotspot. I like the idea of designated boxes for recipes and coupons, or maybe mail…I also need a new home for library books.

    Love what these posts do for me: inside and out.

  8. I loved the "computer broken" graphic! I can definitely relate. I mainly try to keep the living room, kitchen, and guest bathroom clean, and it seems to make the biggest difference.

    Now to tackel the master bedroom!

    🙂

  9. Great tips! I'm a professional organizer and I suggest many of these same ideas with my clients!

    Loved the cartoon as well! 🙂

    Cheers!
    ~h

  10. I am looking forward to this week. I hate clutter, but it seems to accumulate of its own will! And clutter in my spiritual life is just as bad as clutter on my kitchen counter!! 🙂

  11. Can I just say that I love this challenge – especially the time limit of 20 minutes. When you've been piling up the junk for as long as I have, the task seems insurmountable. Kind of like failing to repent for the first umpteen years of life and then realizing how much has been festering and left unresolved. The rejoicing is in the knowing that redemption is provided in both cases. I love this challenge!

  12. One of my favorite sites for managing household clutter is Flylady.net. Maybe you have heard of it, but she regularly challenges us to get in a routine of de-cluttering. It has been a huge blessing to my rushed, messy lifestyle!

  13. I am so thankful to have found you through flylady a few months ago! Sometimes it is hard to find someone to be inspired by often enough in my daily life, so it is so nice to be able to come to your blog!!

  14. I am loving this post, I was just thinking about this last night as I was falling asleep. My question is how do I justify the cost of baskets to my tight husband.

    Stopping by from Making your home sing.
    Bobbi Babbles http://bit.ly/9GzrG8

  15. I dug out my Pablo Perez CD's (worship) and lit my favorite candles and yes, there is a difference in the atmosphere. Along with the intimacy challenge we're doing, this has focused me on peace. NOW you're going after my clutter? Oh man – this is gonna "hurt" (in a good way). I have huge baskets I'm filling and yes, checking my spiritual life, as well, to trash anything not considered walking in Light and Love! You do challenge me and I love it!

  16. I have been away from home, aways from blog reading for six days. My daughter just had spine surgery on last tuesday, and my house is filled with clutter areas. I call them hot spots. My daughter is now home, and I am practically her nurse now. So I will try my best, I do need some rest. But someone has to to put some order in this house, and that is always me.

  17. I love using baskets to corral clutter. They have a set limitation and when things start to spill over it's time to do some decluttering, lol!

    Thanks for joining Making Your Home Sing Monday.

  18. thankyou so much for being a woman of God and truth for being transparent with us thats how freedom come i have really been enjoying your blog iam new to this blog thing but its lots of fun thanks for all the great recipes i think my husband has fallen inlove all over again lol thanks decluttering now!!

  19. i like the 2nd challenge.. i might do that today. we have a relatively empty house so i wont be able to catch a lot of trash i think.

    spiritual side: confess. repent. everyday.

    sometimes, we know but we choose not to do.

    verdict: guilty

  20. I have a closet that needs lots of tending too. The same for that in my heart. Thank you for this encouragement to get it done this week. Check out my blog.

    God Bless sister!
    ADrienne

  21. #1: I though I would use a container we already have instead of buying something since my husband is opposed to me buying organizational products that I don't end up using. However, I realized I accidentally did buy something after all–a hanging rack at Dollar Tree; I am tired of having kids' jackets on the floor! So I will install it and make sure it gets used in the next 24 hours!

    #2: I will be doing the 20 minute trash/ recycle grab tomorrow morning!

  22. Love your suggestions, especially puting the basket on the steps. I am so guilt of piling stuff up on my stairs, but never taking it up b/c I can't carry it all. Drives my husband nuts. 🙂 I will put a basket there tonight when I get home from work and light my candle!

  23. I have been doing this challenge (although not posting/linking up) and I want to say that this has made an enormous improvement in our home! Thanks for coordinating this! It has been terrific!

  24. I need to find a better way to give my hubby a clutter area. Right now he has a stack on the counter. I'm looking for a tray or something to put it in. Any thoughts on giving our hubbies a spot for their "things"?

  25. It is very important for you to clean your floor coverings regularly so as to avoid diseases and dirt accumulation in the home. Vacuum cleaning just isn't enough for your rugs.
    cleaning home

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.