spend at least 10 minutes every day cleaning, organizing or decluttering

I am reorganizing my goal list for 2008, and this one is not working for me. I am going to change it to something more flexible, maybe a weekly goal instead of daily.

The swamp cooler is upstairs and we leave the small kitchen window open so the air flows through the house. Well, that screen gets so covered with dust that you can’t see out of it, and it happens fast! I don’t know if the cooler is pulling dust in, or it’s dust what comes in with the kids and cracks of this drafty house in this dusty neighborhood. Anyway, today I took my favorite things off the sill, dusted them, the sill, the screen, and the curtain. It doubled my view of the yard. :)

Today I bought some storage boxes to organize a cabinet, the boys’ papers, office supplies, craft items, and such. I moved my desk into another room (after I rearranged it to make space) and am downsizing all my office stuff. I don’t need a bigger house, I need less stuff is my thought for the week.

I finished sorting the three drawers and emptied out two bags that have been sitting on the office floor full of misc junk I tossed in there one day several months ago when I cleared off my dresser! I went through one bookcase and pulled out a dozen books to give away (difficult since I love boooks). I’ve made a dent.

Today I cleaned out and organized my stationary drawer. I am starting to work on my cards/letters drawer, which is a big step since I keep every card and letter I’ve ever received! I’m tossing envelopes and letting go of the Christmas cards in which people only signed their names (no notes). Hopefully everything will then fit better.

I cleaned the front window for the first time in years, and got the adhesive off from the Christmas decoration tape. Then I vacuumed the sill and washed and curtains. I cleaned out 2.5 shelves in the cabinet by the bathroom. There is so much to do.

Today I cleaned out one of the pantry cupboards. I freecycled a couch and two chairs. I started moving stuff out of a bookcase that needs to be relocated downstairs.

I emptied one box, then decided to post that I did it, so I emptied another one really quickly so I could post that I did two! It didn’t really make a dent under there yet, but it’s mostly bulky items (dh’s drum cases he insisted on stuffing there, in the middle of the house, when he’s not going to need them for a year, so I need to relocate them to the garage). I need to figure out how I want to use the space.

Today I spent some time clearing the back patio. I tossed, recycled, put away tools, brushed down webs and dust, and folded down the dog crate that had become a cluttered table. I got 6 black widows, too.

I am having a hard time with this goal. Summer started so the kids are out of school and our routines are all off. They are around making messes and needing supervision.

I am assigning cleaning tasks to those who need time to think about proper behavior or who drain my energy excessively. But that doesn’t really count. :)