During Advent, in addition to spiritual renewal, I’m also doing some practical resetting. I’d love you to join me! You can share your progress and inspirations on Instagram or Facebook using tag #2018adventchallenge and if you missed last week’s challenges, you can check them out HERE.
Week 2
Task 1: Declutter session #1
Our first declutter sesion. We’ll have a few of these throughout Advent, but our first one is all about shoes. Quick, simple, seriously effective. Ask each family member to go through their shoes and remove any that don’t fit or aren’t fit for use. Throw the ones that can’t be used; donate the ones that can – or pass them down to a younger sibling. Make sure each family member has a specific place for their shoes (we use large, flat buckets under beds) so that they don’t end up all over the house. If you only want to have the current season’s shoes out, pack up all the off-seasons shoes into a crate and place them somewhere out of sight and mind. I find this hugely helpful in controlling the clutter in an eight-person home. Gumboots, slippers and riding/work boots go away during summer. Sandals and thongs/flip-flops go away during winter.
Task 2: Digital declutter
Using the search function in your email account and input the word ‘unsubscribe’. This will bring up all of the newsletters that you’re subscribed to. Go through and unsubscribe from any that you no longer want to receive – if you haven’t opened or read an email from a business in a number of months, it’s time to get rid of it. If you feel like this one would be quite onerous, perhaps start with your deleted folder. Search the word “unsubscribe” and then unsubscribe from anything that you deleted without even opening. It’s a good place start as you won’t get any more of those through your inbox. Don’t go into 2019 hearing from people you no longer want to hear from. Don’t skip this challenge. It may seem simple, but the amount of headspace you’ll regain can’t be underestimated.
Task 3: Plant
Take some time this week to plant your new season veggies. Gardening is so very good for the soul and the produce is great for the body. Some things that can go in this month (if you live in Australia) are: lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon, corn, rockmelon, spaghetti squash, zucchinis and herbs.
