Declutter Your Purse {15 Minute Mission}
Today's mission is to declutter your purse, the one you carry regularly. This task should be relatively quick, but your back will definitely thank you once it's done!
This mission is designed to be done while doing the
Organizing Purses & Wallets Challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge here on the site.
Please note that tomorrow's declutter mission is to
declutter your wallet, so focus only on your actual purse today, and then tomorrow we'll get to the wallet. Later this week we'll also
declutter your key ring or excess keys.
In addition, a later mission this week will be to declutter your actual handbag collection, so again, that's not the mission for today.
How To Declutter Your Purse Or Handbag
Basically, the mission for today is quite simple. Take the handbag or purse you carry regularly and get rid of all the trash and clutter that has accumulated in it over time.
Your goal at the end of this decluttering session is to have a purse which has more room and weighs less. When you meet these two goals you'll have a purse that, even without additional organization, is much more functional.
Because your purse is such a small container (overall, at least compared to a whole room or something!) the easiest way to clean it out is to just completely empty all the contents from it.
Don't forget to empty all the compartments, pouches and pockets in both the interior and exterior of your purse, including ones you don't normally open and use very often. I'm often surprised how I've stashed something in one of these places in a rushed moment and then completely forgotten I'd put it there.
Once you see everything laid out in front of you the next step is to remove the obvious trash and clutter. This can include old receipts, grocery lists and
other paper, as well as wrappers, stuff your kids hand you to carry, etc.
Once the obvious trash and clutter are gone begin to look at what might be less obvious clutter. If you've got multiples of several things, like you've somehow accumulated
too many pens, for example, cut it back to just one of the items instead of multiples.
Similarly, do you have excess loose change? It is important to have a bit of change in your purse, but if you've over accumulated take out some of it. You don't need that much, and it definitely is adding
unneeded weight.
Then, slowly add things back into your purse, But before you add items back think about each one, and consider it. Does it deserve a spot in your purse? As yourself whether it is worth it for that item to take up space and add weight to your handbag. If the answer is no, don't put it back in there!
Although we'll declutter our wallets tomorrow, as mentioned above, make sure that you do declutter any other containers you've got in your purse today as part of this mission. That could include small
makeup bags, or purse inserts, or whatever else you've got in there. Just like with your purse, take out all the contents and remove trash, clutter, and then only add things back into these smaller containers if they deserve a place in there.
Develop A Habit Of Clearing Purse Clutter At Least Weekly
While I've styled this mission as a Declutter 365 mission, and have it scheduled on the
Declutter Calendar just once this year, it really isn't the kind of task you can do just yearly.
Can you imagine how heavy and crammed your purse would become if you didn't clear it out regularly?
Instead, this is the type of mission that needs to become a habit for you to do.
Some people clear out their purse daily, usually in the evening. When you do it this often we're talking 30 seconds or less, as you just glance in it and throw out that
old grocery list once you've done your grocery shopping, or whatever.
But at a minimum I've found it is important to clear out your purse weekly. Personally, I tend to do this purse clean out on the day I pay my bills and do other paperwork because I've got to get into my purse anyway to get out receipts, etc. and so I find it a convenient time to do this additional task as well.
It takes a bit longer than 30 seconds when done weekly, not daily, but not by much. If you do this regularly it won't take much time at all, but you'll have your purse more functional and convenient for you, to do the job it's supposed to do for you, basically all the time.
Below I'll discuss briefly what I think are good things to carry around in your purse, since this can help you not go overboard with the decluttering process and eliminate things from your purse that you'll actually wish you had in there!
Top photo courtesy of Zemlinki!
What Are The Essential Contents Of Your Purse?
When you're making your decisions about what items deserve to be placed back into your purse after you do this decluttering mission, you might have questions about some of them. Should it be in there or not?
What you carry around in your purse is ultimately very personal, so what is mentioned below is merely ideas and guidelines for you to consider, and you need to make the decision for yourself as the final call of what you'll choose to carry around versus what you'll leave at home.
In addition, there are also tradeoffs that have to occur when making these decisions. The size of your bag, how much items weigh, how inconvenient to actually dire it would be to be without it, and on and on.
So with all those preliminary cautions here's my list of essential purse contents (some of which are actually carried around in your wallet, which is held in your purse).
- Keys
- Money (cash and/or credit/debit cards)
- Identification/Driver's License
- Phone
- Makeup and personal care items
- Medications and/or first aid supplies
- Pen and small notebook or other paper for quick notes
- Sunglasses
- Calendar/Contact Information (if not electronic, and part of your smart phone)
What would you add to this list, or take away from it? Tell me in the comments below!
Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!
Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.
The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!
Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.
Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.
In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.
If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!
Get This Miscellaneous Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering your home, and there's a lot of items to declutter.
Get your 2 page miscellaneous decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
If you're looking for another similar mission, once you get this one accomplished, make sure to also
clear the clutter from other bags you've got, such as work bags, gym bags and diaper bags.
Top photo courtesy of Andreanna Moya PhotographyRelated Pages You May Enjoy
Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of FameGo From Declutter Purse Mission To Home Page
