Focus Challenge – Month 6

Can you believe that we are at the halfway point? Wow! Awesome! Yay!

H a p p y ~ M o n t h . 6 ~ A n n i v e r s a r y !
How would you describe your journey so far? In what ways have you grown & changed in a positive way by accepting and staying true to your challenge? Are there areas where you feel that you still struggle and, if so, how can we help you through those? What are your proudest moments about how your decluttering journey has improved your life?

For me, my decluttering journey has taught me that I can indeed do something routinely. It has also shown me that clutter is much worse than everyday dirt & grime, in that clutter has the biggest impact on making my home look dirty or relatively presentable. I would have never come to that realization without accepting my own 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge.

My biggest area of weakness is feeling alone in my challenge. I *know* there are many 365 Challengers out there. However, that doesn't help keep me motivated since you are all virtual friends. You can't stop by and declutter with me. You won't know if I *really* am staying true to my challenge....and for some of us, I know that the lack of accountability is something we struggle against. And, since many of you are not posting a comment on the blog every now and again, sharing your successes & struggles, I feel alone. If you find yourself with a minute, I would greatly appreciate you taking a moment to post a few thoughts to us all. I bet I'm not the only one who would get a motivational boost from it!

My proudest moment is the change in my perspective, by learning to define clutter and to realize that I need peace more than stuff.

So, how would you describe your journey so far?

For a really special anniversary such as this, I gotta give you all a HUGE gift...a la Focus Challenge! To keep our fun spirit of adventure burning and to even bring out the kid in all of us, let's do a Scavenger Hunt. Here's a fabulous list of possible clutter hiding in your home, that is just hoping you'll never find it with your newfound decluttering eyes!

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Edited to add...

I put the Scavenger Hunt list in Word so that I could use it to keep track. I'm shading the square in purple and changing the font to white. I know, I'm a little ehhhh, LOL! Anyways, it looks pretty with the 2 colored squares that I've got right now and it will be fun to see more purple than white squares eventually!

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Here's what I propose:

1. Print the list.
2. Alter the list, if needed (for example, making a substitution for sippy cups if you don't have children).
3. Review the list each day to choose an item to find and declutter.
4. Find it. Put it in your Donation Station or do as usual for your regular decluttered item of the day.
5. Mark the spot--put an X on the spot, apply a sticker, color it with a highlighter, etc.
   

Now, a SH can be as easy or as hard as you make it. We are fun-loving and adventurous people, who love a little challenge, are we not? ;-)

Just don't let perfectionism frustrate you because you don't find every single thing. If you find yourself feeling that way, I want you to turn that attitude around and pat yourself on the back for every single item that you do find. Promise?

As you make your way through your Scavenger Hunt, you can even post "I found 5!" and we will celebrate right alongside you. And on it goes as you post "I found 10!", "I found 15!", etc., with a final post declaring your Scavenger Hunt grand total.

Enjoy your Scavenger Hunt Focus Challenge! I wish you all another awesome and successful 6 months of your 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge!!

I'd Rather Stay Home From Work and De-junk

The words below were from a post on the 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge running on a Delphi forum that was the point of origination for our little challenge here. These thoughts were shared by Jan during the early days of our challenge. I loved them so much that I saved them. Sometimes, I like to find and read them. When I'm feeling the need for a kick in the pants, because my Motivation Meter is lagging, that is. ;-)

Actually, it is easier than I expected.

Purging one thing a day, that is.

At first I was thinking long term - 365 days!

Impossible!

But, taking it one day at a time is simple.

I got up this morning and purged two small things.

This is getting infectious.

I'd rather stay home from work and de-junk.

There is still room in the trash can, and tomorrow is garbage day.

Look out hobby room.

My reply to her was...See? Sometimes it's just taking one step and then another, and figuring out where you're going after that. :-)

So, let's keep going, just by taking babysteps and decluttering one thing each day. You're doing terrific!

Halloween Costumes

If you're like me, you really want to buy an awesome costume for your child to wear but you don't want to pay so much. Unless they'll play dress-up in it during the year, you can save it for a younger child to wear next year, etc., it's a lot of money to spend on a one-time use object!

On Lisa's Twisted Blog, I saw her link for a great deal at BuyCostumes.com. So, thank you Lisa, and now I'm going to post it here to share with you all as well.