2 Week Fall Organizing Challenge 2021
I have to admit, the moment I start planning the annual fall organizing challenge I get so excited! A brief sigh follows as I consider all the work I am going to make for myself, but it quickly fades. Nothing is more fun than organizing with you all! However, I do get starry eyed looking at storage bins…so I may not be a great judge of how fun organizing is! However, even if you hate it…it is needed and what better way to do it than with friends and for prizes!
Let’s first cover the details. The 2 week fall organizing challenge will begin on October 11th and finish on October 22rd. This year I have decided to focus the challenge on decluttering and better storage! So week one we will clean out several different areas and then on week two we will be organizing and creating better storage for functionality. On the weekends, I will be throwing out an optional digital challenge to you! Digital clutter can be just as stressful, so as long as we are organizing…let’s tackle our photos and email as well.
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How Does the Organizing Challenge Work?
If you are joining us for the challenge starting on October 11, 2021, first you will need to print off the calendar (which you can below). Secondly, you will need to join our facebook group HERE.
This year I will also be posting the challenges on the Soon To Be Charming Instagram page!
Every day during the 2 week challenge, I will post the daily challenges to both the facebook group page and Instagram page. Once you complete the daily challenge, post a picture of the completed task under my post.
The Organizing Challenge Details
Week 1 Time To Declutter
Day 1
Declutter 5 storage bins. Let’s be honest…sometimes bins just hide the chaos! Find 5 storage bins that need to be organized.
Day 2
Family Night! This is something new…so if you are able, get your whole family involved! Maybe have a pizza night and make it fun. Have everyone in your family sort through their clothes, closet and dresser. Sort piles into keep, sell and donate. Make some more space and feel great about letting go of all those clothes your family no longer wears. It is a great time to donate winter gear as well…right before it gets cold.
Day 3
Declutter home décor items. How many times do we keep something that we think we are going to “use” and it never comes out of storage? It’s time to get rid of all the extra home décor items. Be honest with yourself, look at the items and ask yourself if you even like it, would it make you happy if it was on display? If the answer is no, get rid of it. If you say yes, then make a plan to put it up (unless it’s seasonal of course)!
Day 4
Declutter toys, bikes, books and anything your kids have outgrown. If you don’t have kids, look at the optional challenges and declutter your pet area or craft room.
Day 5
Declutter one commonly used space in your home. This is your choice, it could be the kitchen, a bathroom, mudroom or any other space that needs your attention.
First Weekend Challenge
Over the weekend, the first digital challenge is to organize your photos. This can be a huge task…so just get started and if you have more than you can finish in a weekend, it’s ok to continue working on it later. Here is the system I use to organize my digital photos and maybe it will help you as well.
Week 2 Creating Better Storage
Day 1
Organize or create under bed storage. So part of creating better storage is utilizing every inch of space you can. This week we will be finding that space starting with our bedrooms. Underneath beds there is a huge amount of space, if we can keep it organized that is! The goal today is to get everything pulled out from the bed (I’ll let you choose whether you want to do all the beds, or just one) and use bins or boxes to organize that space.
The key to under bed storage is to keep it easily accessible. Using long bins is the best practice because you can slide it out with one pull. If you want to store toys under the bed, use long bins and then put smaller bins inside it to keep everything separate and organized.
Day 2
Organize or create more garage storage. How many garages turn into a catch all…yes, mine does as well. Try to create some function and organization to your garage. It’s the perfect time to tackle this project, right before the cold weather kicks in!
Day 3
Organize or set up winter storage in the mudroom. Now it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to pull out all the winter coats and boots, but how many times (especially because I live in Michigan) do we get caught off guard with the first snow. Well if you live in Michigan you know it’s probably because it was 70 yesterday and then a snowstorm hits the next day! Oh Michigan, how I love your crazy weather.
Anyways, clean up your boot tray, get bins for mittens. Pull out your winter gear for the kids to try on. Set up the room, so when it does get cold, you can easily transition.
Day 4
Organize or create storage for school papers/mail. If you have kids in school, the influx of papers has begun. With a system in place, just do a minor refresh or re-organization. If papers are just piling up…it’s time to put a system in place. HERE is how I organize my school papers.
If you have stacks of mail, sort through them and make sure you have a good storage system in place. The goal is to keep your counter free of papers!
Day 5
Organize your storage closet. I purposely left this one for Friday because depending on your storage closet…it can be a large project. If you are unable to tackle it in one day, use the weekend! Make sure the storage bins in your storage closet are functional and not just collecting items. Declutter if needed.
Second Weekend Challenge
Optional challenge for week 2 is to organize your email. Make sure to unsubscribe from any unwanted emails that come on a recurring basis and not just delete them. It will definitely help reduce the number of emails in your inbox over time!
One more tip for the organizing challenge! On the calendar it shows two optional challenges. If you find a day that doesn’t work for you…then simply sub in one of the optional challenges.
I would love for you to join us!
*if you have come across this post long after our challenge, it is still great to do it on your own! Click the same button to download the calendar.
Spread the news to your friends by sharing on Pinterest!
Remember it starts on October 11th! Thanks so much for checking out my post, and I hope to see you in the organizing challenge! Feel free to email me if you have any questions!
