Remember when I said I was going to do Apartment Therapy’s January Cure? I’m doing it! Are you?
If so, we made it through Week 1! Here’s the recap:
Assignment #1: Pick one drawer–any drawer–and clean it out.
I selected the top drawer of a dresser in my office that contains cards, envelopes, stickers, and of course some stuff that doesn’t belong there (like crafting supplies that belong two drawers down). It also contains some cards that loved ones have sent me over the years. This assignment didn’t take me long, and I even found my Strangers with Candy buttons that I thought (feared) I left at my cubicle at my old job!
Assignment #2: Going room by room, make a list of projects to do throughout the year.
This was easy because there wasn’t any real work, but hard because of scope creep. For example, in the guest room, I want to remove the wall decals (which is an appropriate thing to write down), but I also want to redo the half-bath (which is too big a project for this year).
Assignment #3: Purge your pantry.
I gave myself a pass on this one because I did it a few weeks ago.
Assignment #4: Create an outbox.
“From AT: The Outbox is not garbage; it is a halfway house where things sit while their fate is being decided.” I already have an outbox, but I took the opportunity to move it somewhere out of the way (but accessible) so that I can really let loose and throw things in it with wild abandon without making the bedroom look like a mess.
Assignment #5: Buy flowers and clean your floors.
I always have fresh flowers–and lots of houseplants–so I was fine on part one of this doozy of a weekend assignment. But cleaning the floors? Oh boy. That was the very first assignment last year, and I’m sure its dauntingness (not a word?) contributed to my inability to do the Cure. They were really wise to start with something easy and confidence-boosting this year! Anyway, I did it. And the house smells and feels fresh. It also helped me to identify more little projects from Assignment #2.
We’re snowed in right now (that’s what 2″ in Durham, NC will do!), and I wish I could get a sneak peek and head start on the rest of the assignments, especially since I’m traveling a bit toward the end of the month. Oh well, I suppose I could relax a little instead!