Forty-day decluttering challenge
Today is pancake day, traditionally the day on which Christians use up their supplies of fat, eggs and sugar before observing the forty days of frugal eating which symbolise Christ’s days of fasting in the desert.
Over the years, the forty days of fasting has developed into forty days of giving up something you love, such as chocolate and sweets, but as professional organisers we encourage a different way of marking these symbolic days: forty days of focussing on decluttering.
Some professional organisers advocate decluttering a whole bagof unwanted items every day of the challenge but many of our clients would find this a daunting and completely unrealistic goal. They already feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of ‘stuff’ they have accumulated; trying to dispose of a bag of surplus items every day would cause them untold stress, they would be quite likely to give up and then they would feel that they had failed. That is why, if you wish to mark Lent in this way, we suggest starting with something much more manageable: getting rid of just one item per day, or 40 items over the whole project.
We find that achieving success on a manageable scale can lead to people finding the confidence to tackle larger projects and declutter on a bigger scale.
If you want to make a start on sorting out surplus items in your home, garage or office – why not try this 40-day project.
If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of any decluttering or sorting, why not consider getting professional help? We think you’ll be amazed at the difference we can make.
In the meantime, enjoy your pancakes!
Carefully Sorted is proud to be a member of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers.
