Okay, so you've decided to join in the 7 Day Clutter Clear Challenge (Cue the imaginary, biodegradable, non-mess-making confetti!) but you're still thinking: how do I get started? (and all the other thoughts: This is overwhelming. Can I doom scroll social media instead? I'm sleepy. My head hurts. I think I might be dying of mumps. I wonder what deals I can find on Amazon! Today would be a good day to learn how to can my own vegetables...)

1. Pick a Project

It doesn't matter what, but for maximum impact, pick something that you see/interact with a lot. You certainly could pick 3 square feet in the back left corner of an off-site storage unit, because you're the boss of you, but if you're not going there and living around that every day, the emotional impact from the satisfaction of completing it and now using it will be basically nothing. 

Have you heard of Dave Ramsey's debt snowball where you pay off the tiniest debts first and then you gather so much momentum that you're a financial wizard before you know it? Same concept.

"So if I'm not organizing deep space...what are some ideas"? If you give yourself two clear minutes to think, you will either see or remember something that is not working optimally that would feel so good if it was just tidied or cleared. It could be a bathroom drawer that you can never find what you need in. It could be a pile of mail from yesterday or the last 10 years taking over your kitchen table. It could be your sock drawer, which seems to contain everything but socks. It could be your medicine cabinet or your roller skate collection. It could be even be "stuff within 10 feet of sofa." And if something doesn't come up that "feels right," just pick the first untidy pile you see and that's the one. 

Pro tip: Take a before picture. Snap it quickly. You don't have to pour over it.

2. Fortify + Pump Yourself Up

Go to the bathroom, have a drink of water and/or a small snack on hand. Don't make this into a huge thing. You're only leaving Earth for 15 minutes or so, but tending to all these things ahead of time will calm your central nervous system and minimize your own need to talk yourself out of it. It reminds you that you're safe and your needs are being met. In addition to basic needs, consider also what else might make the task more enjoyable: is it listening to your feel-good music or a podcast or a book? What about working with a partner or a friend? Is it knowing that a hot bubble bath or a night out with friends awaits you after? Whatever will better doing this work, add it in. It's almost time to start, but speaking of time...

Now is a good time to decide how long you will spend on your clutter clear today. I recommend starting with 15 minutes, especially if you're just getting started. If you're just really in the groove after 15, you can always keep going. Just be careful not to exhaust yourself or burn yourself out to the point that you will excuse yourself from showing up tomorrow. Consistency is the goal and consistency just requires you repeatedly showing up for any amount of time. 30 minutes today is not the same as 15 minutes today and 15 minutes tomorrow. Tomorrow, you have fresh eyes that have been enjoying the fruits of today's labors. You are not the same you tomorrow as today. So set your timer for the amount of time you can easily, breezily do on your phone or your watch or your in-home robotic assistant, and it's go-time, baby!

3. Do the Thing + Have Feelings

Start sorting like with like or picking out the trash or items that don't belong (more on sorting order tomorrow). Just GO! If the task you've chosen is mail, you may spend the entire time chucking things into your recycling bin and trash (wheeee!) or maybe you're taking dishes back to the kitchen, or you're unearthing your sofa under clothes. Every step, every bit matters. Keep going. Thoughts will come up: fear and scarcity, tiredness and overwhelm. Acknowledge the thoughts and remind yourself you are safe and your needs are met and keep gooooooooing until your timer goes off.  If you feel like 15 minutes was basically all you could live through, you're golden. You made it! You didn't die. (If you're really on a roll or almost finished and just want to get your last pair of socks beautifully jellyrolled, by all means go for it. Neither I nor your timer are the boss of you and I love a good clutter-clearing bender myself. Just remember to come back tomorrow!)

4. Celebrate!

Give yourself a big hug and a high five and thank yourself for doing this kindness and act of service for future you. You're the best! Did you pick out a reward like a hot bath or a walk with a friend or your favorite show on Netflix? Please enjoy! And come back tomorrow to do it again. You're so great!

Pro Tip: Take a picture! Even if you didn't finish a space, you will be amazed when you compare your before with the after picture and knowing what took place in only 15 minutes. 

The most important part of forming any habit is not having total mastery or dedicating your whole life and all your time to it, but consistency. A little bit, over and over. If you're ready to become a clutter-clearing ninja who keeps your space tidy and maintained with ease, making it a low-pressure part of your every day is going to be a game changer.

To kickstart your clutter-clearing habit and supercharge your summer, I'm hosting a 7-Day Clutter Clearing Challenge through my Facebook and Instagram channels (@marytallencoaching) starting on Saturday, June 3.  The mission: show up for yourself by clearing a little bit of clutter (~15 minutes) every day for 7 days. That's it! You can work on small spaces or big spaces, your night stand or your closet or your car (or anywhere else). You can do more or not. You can document or not. Just show up for you, honor your commitment to yourself every single day for 7 days, and just get going!

If you would like to share your before/after photos, your triumphs, and your obstacles and get help where you're getting stuck, you can join my private Facebook group OR hashtag your public posts (Otherwise, I can't see them) with #june7dayclutterclear. I'll be checking posts, giving support and offering helpful tips every day June 3-9, 2023. Let's do this!

Clutter Clearing Challenge Explained!

It’s summertime (maybe not technically, but in Texas: it's heeeeere! And cooler climates--it soon will be) and to keep the living easy, here are a few simple, 15-ish minute projects to get you organized and ready to live your best life by the pool or in the hammock with essentials nearby.

Project 1: End-of-School Paper and Garbage Dump

It happens every last day of school and yet it’s a stunning surprise every time. Your little darling arrives home for summer with enough worksheets and art work to paper the Great Wall of China. And gnawed pencils and Hot Cheetos-dusted pencil pouches. You vow to carefully scrutinize these items for anything valuable and salvage priceless quotables from free-writing exercises…when you have time. Soon, school is starting again and you either 1) push it all aside into a storage area to further clutter your space or 2) get so frustrated you throw it all away anyway. Take back your power and your summer and instead, do it now.  

Step 1: Prep and Setting Limits 

Before you get started, determine how much, if any, of your kids’ school and/or artwork you’re willing to keep. You can choose a specific number (5-10) or designate a small folder and that’s your limit. Put on something enjoyable to listen to: music or a podcast or an audiobook, get a small snack or drink to keep you energized, and set a timer for 15-20 minutes.  Acknowledge that when the timer goes off, you are out of time for this project and will honor the commitment to yourself and your space to let go of anything still "unprocessed."

Step 2: Do the thing!

Go through the schoolwork quickly and decisively, remembering your commitment to yourself, and do not keep more than you decided ahead of time (folder full or quantity reached? One must go out before another comes in). When the timer goes off, let go of anything you have not gone through yet. Recycle paper and trash the trash and move on with your life.  

Step 3: Speaking to Your Exceptions 

“But, but, but…” Imagine I am looking you lovingly in the eyes and holding your hands as I say this: it’s okay to put it in the trash. I used to be the mom to agonize over the art work and the worksheets, wondering if not examining every piece of preciousness from the hand of my children meant I didn’t love them or was not a good mom. “And I have to salvage the $0.47 crayons that will join the pile of 12,427 more in the bin!” We have got to stop this, okay? School papers are neutral and have nothing to do with your parenting. They just exist and yesterday, you didn’t even know or remember that they did. Now you do and you’re having thoughts that make them mean something about your value as a person. A magnificent mom might throw every single paper away or might be stockpiling them for the apocalypse—it could really go either way.  Agonizing over this question of your value as a parent is not useful here. Maybe this (or similar) thoughts, which are probably well within your reach, will feel better to you. “If I take care of this pile of papers now, I have more time (and space) to spend doing things I actually care about, including time with my kids.” Isn’t that actually true? Now do it and be free! 

 Project 2: Summer Beach Bag Prep and/or Detox

I love to be able to go to the lake or pool or on an outdoor adventure at a moment’s notice, so I keep my summer “beach” bag stockpiled with essentials like: sun screen, bug spray, pool or waterpark season passes, a small pouch for change or money, a wet bag for wet things, and a dry bag to keep things like my phone dry and within reach. Then I can just grab a few beach towels and we’re off! (I keep my picnic blanket in my car's trunk.) The thing is, beach bags get janky like all things get janky. While I am a stickler about immediately unpacking wet swimsuits, extra clothes, or used towels, and most especially any food immediately upon arriving home, sand happens. Use-by dates happen. All the seasons happen. Life happens. And before I know it, I go to apply sunscreen only to wonder why I am slathering cottage cheese on my tender little feet. No thank you. Whether you keep these items in a beach or pool bag or elsewhere in your home, let’s do a summer gear round-up!

Step 1: Locate every bug spray and sunscreen and related item in your house. 

Check dates on them.  Sun screen actually has pretty good shelf life (considering that if you’re applying it as directed--about 1 oz, you might well use ¼ a bottle in a single go). Sunscreens are required by the FDA to be effective at their original strength for at least three (3) years. Don’t have any idea when you bought it?  Check for discoloration or inconsistency in texture and dispose of any that are off. In future, consider writing the date of purchase on the container if you tend to keep them awhile (I know; will any of us really do this? Still though, I’m putting it out there optimistically! Maybe you're a 1%er!). The shelf life for bug sprays is about the same amount of time and while they do not become harmful after 3 years, they do become less effective at repelling, so keeping them indefinitely is pointless and potentially itchy. After tossing any empty or expired items, consider replacing with only a single, high-quality favorite of each thing. I highly recommend checking the EWG’s Sunscreen Site and the EWG Bug Repellent Guide to find the best non-toxic products that will be effective for your family.  

Note about EWG (Environmental Working Group) research and non-toxic products: I am ultra-selective when it comes to sunscreens also and have tried many alternatives, but ultimately use a commercial one because sunburn is a real bummer. I also make my own bug repellent from DoTerra's TerraShield essential oils, a carrier oil, and purified water. You can google a recipe--or 1000-- for it if you want to try right now. Non-toxicity is something I take veeeery seriously because of my own experiences and misadventures with my health. While I think non-toxic is better for everyone and the Earth and therefore recommend at least some casual research and awareness, I know the extreme level of importance I place on it is not necessarily everyone's journey. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good and better! You do you!

Step 2: Clean Out Your Summer Stuff’s Home 

If your summer items don’t have a designated “home,” like your beach bag or a bin in the entry way or medicine cabinet, establish one now. You will always know where to find (and put back!) your sunscreen, bug spray, and lip balm (and related items). Ahh, home.

If your items already have a designated home (or once you establish one), give it a good wipe down. Shake out sand and wipe down surfaces (or launder, if applicable). Get it really clean! I like to put my liquid items in a gallon-sized plastic zipper bag to catch any leaks on the go, but a washable, lined wet-bag would work great, too. Any other items that need laundering? Coin pouches, beach towels, etc—run them through the wash, too. Throw in your pool or park passes or other regular use pool items and you’re set.

Step 3: Stay Gold (Maintenance)

To maintain your new, breezy summer bag, simply unpack and clean out right away after every trip. It takes two minutes and you’ll be golden all summer long! In the words of Will Smith “If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.”

Project 3+: Bonus Round Summer Edit Honor Roll

On a roll and want to keep going? Don’t forget these other seasonal items that could probably use a little attention, editing and love. Do them all this way: 

1. Gather all the items in a single category together from wherever they may be. 

2. Designate a “home” for them and establish limits for the items and set a timer to limit the time you spend on the decisions.
   

3. Choose your favorites and best first, then discard any items that are simply not useful or loved by you/don’t fit the space (donation)  or that are beyond repair or no longer function (trash). 

4. Carefully clean and mend all the favorites that remain and put them in their space.
   

Suggested Seasonal Categories 

You can do each line all at once or break them up into separate 15 minute categories. Only you make the rules!

• Sunglasses, sun hats, swim suits, cover-ups

• Folding chairs, coolers, picnic blankets, and beach umbrellas 

• Pool floats and toys, including goggles

• Outdoor furniture and rugs

• Pots and planters 

• Gardening tools, watering cans, pitchers

Quiz Time!

How do you feel when you think about the cords and electronics in your house?

A. We don't talk about Bruno.

B.  No. No. No.

C. We don't talk about Bruno!

D. Never should have brought up Bruno!

E. Neutral

F. Energized

G. Peaceful

Most of us mortals fall somewhere between A and D (or A through D). As technology becomes obsolete ever more quickly and we adapt our lives to "how things are now," setting time aside to organize and untangle our electronic lives can feel hard, overwhelming, confusing, and therefore at the bottom of our priority list. But I want to tell you why that it's exactly BECAUSE you feel these ways that you want to move such activities to the top of your list, at least the top of your non-life threatening list. Sorry Future-Me, that's going to be your problem.

Our homes are constantly reinforcing our beliefs about ourselves, even (especially) subconsciously when we're trying not to look. Every time we see (even without looking) the tangled cord mess, our energy dips a little and dips like that throughout your home add up to a whole lot of tired (and overwhelm).  That sounds like a Now-Me Problem. And since I love both Now-Me and Future-Me (and Past-Me, too. XOXO.) and I am totally in charge of how I feel, I want to make both of our lives better. And Future-Me is going to slay because of how much I am hooking her up right now, amirite?!

I'm not going to spend too much time trying to convince you to slay the dragon though because you will when you're ready (I can coach you if you think you'll never be ready! You're already here, aren't you?!). I want to talk about HOW to slay the dragon. Until you are ready and your thoughts align, the How is kind of irrelevant, BUT I want you to know how easy it is. So let's go!

First, decide on the space you want to work on. 

I love and appreciate that the KonMari method says bring it all out of every nook and cranny at once and have done with it, but some of us have to go to the dentist or pick our kid up from school or do anything except devote the next however endlessly long to clear all electronic and cord clutter in our house. You know your space and time best, so set your project parameters: e.g. "TV Cabinet area," or "Home office," or even more specific "Home office computer area." 

Set Your Intention. 

You don't have to bring in divine guidance for this task (unless you want to, in which case: great idea!), but take a minute to determine your goal for the area beyond "Please God, not this." One helpful way to do this is to take pictures of your cord situation. This is especially helpful if it's semi-hidden or difficult to get to. It will give you a better idea of your space and what will help the most.

For example, do you have white walls and black cords going in every direction you don't want to see anymore? Do you have things plugged in to inconveniently located outlets that could be moved? Do you have overloaded outlets? Is everything tangled? Do you even know what everything is and you'd like to know at a glance what you're unplugging? Consider where your pain points are. If all of them, don't worry; it will become more clear as you go. If it's obvious and you want to order some cord management products (cord labels, cord hiding wall kit to match paint, cable sleeves, velcro ties, etc.) ahead of time, go ahead. But be careful to order just what you need so the returns don't become another hassle. If you don't know, just wait, little chickadee. That is coming.

I also recommend taking pictures of the backs of devices where everything is connected so that you know for sure which cord plugs into what once everything is ready to go back in place. Take it from me; it's a bummer to realize you have no idea once everything is disconnected.

Editing, then Organizing (Fun part?)

Do not organize before you edit, unless you love wasting your time. Why neatly coil and label a cable you don't want or need? Just sayin'.

• Take everything out.

  Unplug cords from outlets, pull all devices and cords out (be safe! you may need help if you are moving something large like a tv).  Detangle and separate cords from one another. Group into piles of similar items. This will help you identify when you have multiples, as well as knowing what everything is.
  
  

• Weed out the duds.

  Did you, as I did, have a cord plugged into the outlet and absolutely nothing else? Were there miles of coaxial cables for days with no apparent destination? Are some of the cables broken, frayed, or known to be useless? Put all these in a big satisfying pile to toss. Is anything completely random (that belongs in another space) up there--no judgment here; note the karaoke microphone in my before pics above. Make a pile of items to rehome or take them to their place as you go.
  
  

• Wipe everything down

  (can be as you go): the devices, the cords, the space with a microfiber cloth to catch dust and follow with a magic eraser, or spray cleaner, as needed to remove additional gunk and goo. Ahhh, doesn't that feel better.
  
  

• Stage and Set-Up Your Space

  It may be helpful to have some additional muscle on hand once again to help you re-arrange as you work. Put all the major devices back where they go (or you now want them to) nearest the outlet that makes the most sense. Are your cords too long (most likely) or too short? Do you have enough outlets? Do you need a power strip or a cord cover to make your dreams come true? If you have the organizing products you need (could be as simple as twist ties or rubber bands to bundle too-long cords)?
  
  Plug everything in where it goes and add cord management solutions as you go keeping cords taut, smooth, and bound together or coiled, as needed.  Every situation requires a little something different, but I have made an Amazon list of some basic cord management products I have personally used with comments about their uses to assist you. Need more ideas, visit TheContainerStore.com and search "cord management."

Elevate and Celebrate! 

Want to add that little something extra to your space? What about some cute baskets to hold your video games and remotes? Or maybe a cute little potted plant? Add 1-3 special items that make the space feel extra personal and homey. Take an after picture. Send it to your bestie or post it on social media (or send it to me! I am so proud of you!). Do a little victory dance. I bet it feels good.

But can it heal your whole life?!

Though it may seem corny or difficult to do at first (hence mirror WORK), each repetition helps you overcome your inner critic and plants the seeds of the habits of self-love, self-compassion, self-esteem, self-acceptance, and self-awareness, which are critical emotional regulation strategies. Like any practice, the more you do it, the easier and more powerful it becomes. According to Hay, self-love is the only strategy for healing EVERY problem. And all it takes is you, a mirror, and a journal and pen. What have you got to lose?

How do I get started? There is no "wrong" way to do mirror work if you're looking in the mirror and being kind to yourself. If you would like to evolve it as a practice though, try this:

• Set a timer to do your mirror work. Start with one minute, or even 30 seconds every day. Over time, you may increase to 5 or even 10 minutes a day.
• Stand in front of your mirror (or hold it in front of you) and look at yourself with compassion.
• Choose affirmations that are meaningful to you. Some of Louise Hay's greatest hits include:
• My life loves me./ I love my life.
• I am willing to change.
• I love who I am.
• Click for the daily affirmation on LouiseHay.com
• Do it every day, even when it feels weird or you feel resistance. Keep going!
• Ready to go next level? Get undressed and practice your mirror work gazing at your full, naked self. Let's go!