Reset Your Space Challenge: Edit

In Week Two, we're editing to make space.

Twice this week I spied birds gathering materials for their nests. I couldn’t help but think of all of you who wrote to me or commented last week to say that it was “perfect timing” for a challenge to reset our spaces: Friends, it’s nesting season. 

Last week when I introduced the Reset Your Space Challenge I explained that this four-week series of newsletters is meant to gently encourage you to refresh your home. It is not some overly ambitious home makeover program, but rather a bunch of tiny ways to improve your space. This week we’re taking a small bites approach to decluttering. I hope this week’s challenge will give you a little breathing room. 

WEEK TWO: EDIT

Below are a few prompts for what I’m calling “edit,” but that I’d really like to call “prune” because  anyone who has edited for a living can tell you, it’s not always about simply reducing. I like the verb ‘prune’ because its definition feels more precise: “To reduce, especially by eliminating superfluous matter” or even the gardener’s definition, “to cut off or cut back parts for better shape or more fruitful growth.” That’s how I see these exercises: A way to give your home (and life!) better shape. These first two apply to everyone: 

1. Revisit your intentions. 

Last week, I asked you to identify a particular part of your home that you feel unsatisfied with: Look there to see if you can find anything to donate or rehome to a better location. Sit in this place for a moment and look around. What doesn’t belong here? As you read through the prompts below, make note of any that apply to your particular space.

2. Start a donation station. 

It can be a pair of grocery store bags in your closet or an area in your garage – just choose a place where you’ll place the things you are planning to donate, sell, or otherwise get rid of.

Now, choose a couple prompts from below to tackle this week:

Clear the horizontal surfaces. Dresser tops, desks, counters, these are all magnets for items that have no proper home. If you chose a particular room as your pain point, start with the flat surfaces there. Try to get them down to the absolute essentials. Then, dust. I promise this will make an outsize impact on every room you tackle.

Put away all the _____. I’ll use shoes as an example: If shoes are littered all over your home, put them all back in their designated place. If they don’t have a proper home or they can’t all fit in the place they are supposed to go, you’ve learned something valuable: You need to improve your shoe storage. Ask yourself: Is there anything we can donate? The same goes for whatever item is your family’s particular challenge: Hats, sports gear, coats. 

Fill a bag with books. I believe almost everyone can find some books to donate (some of us could fill a whole truck bed). Start with a single shopping bag that you can easily carry yourself – and get it out of the house right away. Take it to the local library book sale or charity shop, drop them off in a Little Free Library. You could even put a box by the curb on a sunny day with a friendly sign announcing free books.

Cook down the pantry. If your cupboards are feeling cramped, challenge yourself to plan meals that will use up things that are taking up space and not part of your usual meal rotation. If you’ve got lots of small bits of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, cereal, I say roll them all into a big batch of granola. Turn random grains or legumes into simple salads dressed with vinaigrette and a ton of fresh herbs. Bonus: You’ll save some money in the process.

Streamline food storage. Find all the food storage containers and glass jars that lack a missing top (or tops that lack a container). If you’re cavalier, toss them or recycle them now. If you’re more cautious, put them all into a box or bag to wait and see if their mates resurface, but let’s make a deal: You’ll get rid of them all at the end of the month?

Have a folding night. Instead of the daunting task of editing your wardrobe or linen closet, may I suggest taking everything out and refolding it nicely? Listen to a podcast or call a friend while you fold. Every time I do this, I am surprised by how much space it seems to free up. Of course, if you come across anything you’re ready to donate, as you fold, stash it in your donation location. 

Say goodbye to singleton socks and sad underwear. These two clothing items should be easy to prune out. Unless you have a convenient place to recycle textiles, don’t fret about getting them to the perfect textile recycling location. (In some instances, you may have to send something to the landfill, and I say worn-out underwear is one of them.)

Pick just one messy drawer. Take everything out, extract duplicates, relocate anything that belongs elsewhere, throw away trash, and wipe down the interior of the drawer before returning the items. If that feels good, perhaps you could do another tomorrow, and another the next day?

I’ve got a few bonus tips for how to actually get the stuff out of your home with a minimum of effort for paid subscribers below. I’m also showing you MY problem area: The built-in shelves in our back hallway (it’s pretty bad!).

And if you found value in these tips, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’ve been reporting on home for 20 years and I put that experience into making this challenge useful. I am hopeful it will inspire some of my many longtime free readers to support my work.