30 Day Clean It Up Challenge – Recap
A look back at the past month and remembering the things we’ve learned.
A month and a half ago, we accepted a challenge to do our very first video for Full of Days. But instead of one video, we (ok, I) decided a 30 day video challenge would be even better! “It’ll be fun!” I said. (I warned her! – Jason)
Oblivious to the actual time commitment, we (ok, again, I) plunged forward with a goal, a plan and a wee bit of excitement. I’m happy to report we made it through the challenge, the whole dang month! And we not only made it through, but we were joined by thousands of new friends, and about a dozen other bloggers! WHAT A BLAST!
What We Learned
There are many things we’ve discovered over the course of the month…let’s highlight the faves!
- We learned that we’re not alone in our quest for a nice and tidy, organized home. And we’re not alone realizing that sometimes “wanting” doesn’t equate to “having”.
- We learned that small do-able tasks (in short 15 minute increments), over a 30 day period of time, really add up to big results!
- We learned that these small do-able tasks have a spill-over effect. For example, the simple daily task to shine your sink before going to bed, motivates us to spend an extra minute and wipe down the counters and dining room table as well.
- We learned that shining the sink in the evening is more about the next day. Because when we wake to a clean sink then we put the breakfast dishes straight into the dishwasher, we don’t leave the pots/pans to be washed later on, and we get a clean and shiny sink all day! Pretty soon we don’t even have to do the late night version of this chore…because it stayed shinny all day! So instead of living with a mess, we lived in clean!
- We learned that messes multiply…QUICKLY! What begins as a small mess in the kitchen, spreads to a medium mess in the living room, inevitably exploding into a full day cleaning project in the bedroom. So, tidying up a small mess, stopping it in it’s tracks, is a MUCH easier task if we do it right when we see it. (See it-do it…it’s our new motto!)
- We learned that the weight of undone tasks can hide beauty. We rediscovered how refreshing our mountain view can be when not hidden by an undone task (finally doing something about the mountain of clutter!)! A year ago we put a deck off our third floor bedroom and have scarcely enjoyed the view like we have this past week! Reminds us why we bought the house in the first place. Ah-mazing!
We’re grateful for you!
To everyone who joined us, for a single day or for all 30, without your involvement it would have just been a bunch of videos of us cleaning up our home…how boring! But ya’ll made it fun and taught us so much!
Thank you for sharing your tips for each daily task. (My very favorite tip was lining the top of the refrigerator with parchment paper, when it’s time to clean it off, just swap it out for a fresh piece, no dusting necessary!)
Our greatest bonus? One that was unforeseen, was how much this challenge meant to all of you! Huge thanks to you who took the time to comment, private message or personally tell us what this challenge has done for you! Some of you dealing which chronic illnesses shared how you were unable to keep a home neat and tidy, but that our small, 15 minute challenges allowed you to tackle a “messy home” in doable increments. For others, the accountability alone was motivation to finish lingering projects.
And finally, many of you have told us how your kiddos jumped on board and joined you each day for the daily tasks! Finding value in a chore by making it memorable family time…Now you see what we mean by “living FULL OF DAYS”.
I LOVE how something as simple as a 30 day challenge has morphed into small victories, accomplishments, memories made and habits carried forward.
One month, thirty 15 minute tasks…450 minutes. But most importantly, 30 “Full Days”, one month filled with intention. 1/12th of the year that we set a goal, made a plan and then did it!
Well done!
Hmm…What should we do next…
Did you miss the challenge?
That’s OK! All the videos are available on our Facebook page! Grab a few buddies, tag them in the intro video, and pick your start date! Then just follow along with each daily challenge until you’ve completed the 30 days! All the comments, tips and tricks are still on each video, so be sure to read through the comments to gather any tips…and leave tips of your own, as well! We’re bound to revisit this challenge again, so your wisdom is welcome (and appreciated)!
