In early January, I had written a post titled “Start by Starting“. The concept was to pick a present moment in time and place AND begin an activity or undertaking. I brought up the dreaded task of cleaning and organizing my basement. My idea was to tackle the project in small steps each day. This was my commitment:
“My goal is to spend 15 minutes every day down there. Making this a daily habit this year, this will add up to over 90 hours. Imagine how much could be accomplished in 90 hours!”
– January Lori
The first quarter is now over. So, what happened in the first 90 days? Or, we might instead ask the first 22.5 hours.
The Lessons
When I think about the project and what I’ve learned in this first quarter, a few things stand out:
- The theory was true. Spending just 15 minutes a day on a project can make a big impact over time.
- Where you start a project, may not be where it ends and that is OK.
- If you miss a day, that’s fine. Don’t miss more than two.
- Some days may go over 15 minutes. That’s fine too. Do more when you feel like it.
- Be OK with clutter. As you will see below, a project moved to the main part of the house. Because I was just spending 15 minutes a day, I would often end up with piles sitting in rooms waiting to be organized. I kept reminding myself “this will be gone in a few days”…..and it always was.
- Is the original goal, really the goal? For me, I thought of this as a “project” in the beginning. What I’ve realized is that the unorganized mess in the basement is a mental clutter that has been weighing on me for years.
The Progress
You might be wondering what I accomplished in this first 90 days.
I started with the HUGE pile of clothing that needs to be sold and/or donated. The first week or so, I organized all the clothes into categories – pants, skirts, shirts, shoes, etc. I haven’t moved this area forward any more since then.
Next, I focused about a week on my jewelry/wine charm equipment. I use a drill press in the area under the stairs to drill corks. The area was a hodge podge of things….including 30-year old college textbooks! I cleared everything out and replaced the old books with corks and my Etsy shipping supplies which were in another area of the basement. Everything together in one place! Below is the before and after.
The Unexpected
In early February, I decided to create an area for my photography supplies and equipment. Those supplies were in the basement, my office, and other random areas of the house. After discussion with my husband, this project took a different turn and changed the course of my 15-minute dailies for the rest of the quarter.
The decision was made to turn a walk-in closet to a photography and scrapbook “room” and add a desk and photo area in the master bedroom. The undertaking was huge as the closet situation had to be handled first – clearing one closet, moving clothes from the walk-in to the smaller closet, setting up the walk-in, and finally moving supplies from all over the house into the newly created “photo closet”.
Here’s the result of the photo closet. Following the idea that “storage” should be like a “store”, I think the space really feels like a space where I “shop” for what I need for each project.
Finally, two quick images of the two other spaces that were completed in the first quarter – the other organized closet and the desk/sitting area in the bedroom.
Your Turn
Did you start a 15-minute project in January?
Are you inspired to start one now?
What might your project focus on?