Updated to add: Please, please try and remember to link up to directly to your 30 Day Org Challenge post rather than to the main page of your blog. Thanks!
Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with what needs to be organized in our surroundings that we don’t even know where to start. This challenge is a perfect opportunity to help you FOCUS in on one room or space. Pick one area to organize in your house this month and make the COMMITMENT to yourself to get it done within the next 30 days. Concentrate your efforts one step at a time and you WILL get it done!!! I’ll be rooting you along as we move through the month of November. I want you to feel that high sense of accomplishment that comes from turning clutter and chaotic into purposeful and calm. I want that for you. What do you say, are you in?
Join me over the next 30 days and turn your goal of an organized space into a reality!
Here is how the challenge works:
What is the 30 Day Organizational Challenge?
Your challenge is to organize one room and/or one area in your home over the next 30 days and at the end of the 30 days post both the “before” and “after” pictures on your blog with a brief description of how you got from point A to point B. I will also provide specific questions for you to answer. You may enter one or both categories if you’d like.
Today (or really anytime within the next 30 days) you will be required to link up to this post (below) to a post of your own sharing which area and/or room you plan on organizing, your plan of attack (this post of mine gives you some suggestions) and, if you choose to, your “before” pictures. You are not obligated to include your “before” pictures at this time if you’d rather not however I do encourage it. Accountability is a huge motivator. Remember – the worse the before picture, the greater chance for improvement, the better the chance of winning. That’s how it works, so display those before pictures proudly!!
The following are some of the things I’ll be looking for at the completion of the challenge and you’ll want to keep them in mind:
Overall Transformation – A well organized, uncluttered, clearly defined and efficient space that is easily maintained.
Clutter Control – The ability to purge excess
Creative Use of Space – Using creative solutions to allow you to maximize your space and create zones and systems in a new and manageable way.
Baskets/Containers that Work – Using containers that allow you to establish boundaries and limits as well as contain “like with like”.
Overall Experience – The process you used, what you got out of this experience, what you found the most rewarding, most difficult, etc..
When does it start?
The challenge starts today, Thursday, November 1, 2007.
When does it end?
The challenge will end at 11:59 pm on Friday, November 30, 2007.
Who can participate?
Anyone with a blog can participate although participants outside of Canada and the US are only eligible for the cash prizes due to shipping costs.
Who are the judges?
This time around I’ll be judging this one on my own with a few friends standing by on the sidelines in case I get stuck.
What are the prizes?
Now to the fun part and hopefully a little extra motivation. I’ve got some great prizes lined up for you. Thank you so much to all the sponsors who so kindly contributed to this event!!!
First Category – a whole room:
1st place = $150.00 US donated by Lifeorganizers.com
2nd place: One year subscription to Organize magazine courtesy of Organize magazine PLUS a set of Organizing Bags from my friend The Lazy Organizer
3rd place = A Life Less Cluttered book donated by the author herself Christine Rice (a fantastic book by the way that I will be reviewing soon)
Second Category – a small space (ie: closet, drawer, armoire, desk, etc):
1st place = $50.00 US donated by Lifeorganizers.com
2nd place = One set of Organizing Bags from The Lazy Organizer
3rd place = A gift basket donated by Saanen Suds (a small business of one of my readers – she doesn’t have a website) featuring moisturizing lavender goat’s milk soap, lovely lavender salt scrub, lavender/rose lotion bar, a hand crocheted washcloth and loofah or scrubby in a cute little basket.
BONUS PRIZE: At Shannon’s suggestion I am also including a prize for the biggest purge pile. I want to see pictures of your “stuff to go” in the trunk of your car! Family Travel Gear has kindly donated a wonderful prize of a Kids Car Organizer compact.
Keeping with tradition I will also select a random winner from all the remaining participants to win a copy of Stephanie Denton’s book “The Organized Life” donated by Stephanie herself!
So there you have it. Please remember we all have different circumstances of which you may know nothing about. Therefore it is not our place to judge or make assumptions but rather help each other succeed with encouraging words, positive reinforcement and if asked, respectful suggestions.
Thanks everyone and good luck to all of you! Email me if you have any questions.
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I am so excited to do this. I saw the previous challenges after the fact and was hoping another one would be coming, and it’s finally here. I have to say that I am excited but I’m also scared. I’m scared that I won’t be able to do it. I’m scared to post the “before” pictures because, believe me, the room I have chosen to do is a total disaster. It is going to be very embarrassing to post pictures of it, but I know it’s the only way to get me motivated enough to actually do it. Thanks for doing this challenge, and I can’t wait to get started.
Lol, like Dawn I am rather embarrased at the mess in the area I’m going to tackle. But hey-ho! It’ll look great. Thanks for setting up the challenge it’s just the push I needed to get my project finished.
:-)
Thanks for putting this challenge together! You’ll see from my pictures, I really need it! :)
How do I get your banner for this challenge to link to my own blog. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet.
Good luck to all of you! I’m not joining in this time, got too much on my plate right now, maybe next time :) But I’ll still come back to see the finished pics when you all are done, cuz I just love seeing how everyone does.
Please email me for the challenge code if you are having trouble saving it to your hard drive. Thanks!
Alright – we’re going to see how well this internet motivation works! :-)
Here goes! I am SO embarassed to post the before pics, but like the others said, that’s part of the motivation. Here we go!
Can the “area” or “room” be something like LAUNDRY…let me explain…I can bring pictures tomorrow….but here is my biggest problem…the laundry is EVERYWHERE!!!! I looked around the house just this morning and thought…what do I do with this…It is piled on my dresser, over bars in the closets, on the floor (dirty and clean), draped over a chair in the living room, and in that same chair is clean folded laundry that is piled HIGH. The kid’s rooms are ok and their bathroom is fine, but the space that the hubby and I share is terrible!!! The living room is overflowing, and the laundry room needs help too….the majority of it is LAUNDRY….maybe this isn’t the time for it (not that it isn’t time to get it done, but not the time to join a contest) I don’t know…I have been stalking your site for some time…I say it’s time to STOP stalking and start FOLLOWING!!!
Angela
All right. I submit. Let’s work on reclaiming the space formerly known as the Living Room which has morphed into the Storage Room over the past year. Photo on my blog. Prepare yourself. It’s a true Halloween Nightmare.
I just found your blog in an effort to motivate my family and myself to become more organized. I love competition so maybe this is what I need.
I only found out about this yesterday, but I am in desperate need of an overhaul on one of my rooms, so this is PERFECT. TY TY you may have saved me from just piling in the yard & starting a bonfire :-)
i’m admittedly starting sort of small… just one ‘guest room’ that i hope at the end of the month will be our ‘master bedroom’, though it’s not any bigger than ours right now (the closet is, though!). spurred on by jeanne b., i think i’ll find this organizational challenge just the motivation i need. are you having another next month?? because the current ‘bedroom’ needs to become the ‘craft room’ and then maybe in january so my ‘craft/junk/storage room’ can become the ‘guest room’… i’m getting ahead of myself, though, making it that big un-doable thing, as i’m not supposed to, so i’ll stop. this one room WILL become organized and lovely! :) thanks!
I’m in! First time. But I need the accountability.
I was so embarrassed when I posted the actual pictures of the garage. It is really much worse in print than in person. I am determined to organize it and not spend a ton of money doing so.
Woohoo! I can’t wait to start. Now which room should I pick, hmm. Sadly, the whole apartment qualifies.
Thanks for the push to get my school room organized. I CAN’T STAND IT!!!
Well I am new to your blog and so excited that I found it at the start of the Challenge. I do not know how to put your cute banner on my blog, I have never done that before. Also this is my first try at Mr. Linky so hopefully it will work out.Please let me know how to do the banner.
I am so excited to start this! I admit I waited a couple of weeks to clean up the craft room just waiting for the challenge to start. :D
I sooo need this challenge. My “before” is truly frightening…
http://cultofdomesticity.blogspot.com/2007/11/30-day-organization-challenge.html
I am so excited for this! I am still debating between two spots…so many choices right now…
This was soooo helpful for me last year, I am super pumped to be doing it again! I even posted your challenge as my WFMW yesterday! Thanks!!!
OK, there it is in print on my blog for all the world to read – my committment to this challenge! Now to post the “before” photos – YIKES!
Thanks for the challenge! I have joined up & here goes!!
Cheers,
Cate
This STINKS this morning I tackled the most horrible, disgusting room in my house (JUST this morning I tell you). I didn’t take a SINGLE picture for my before shot. I could have won with this room! It is my sons room right off the frontroom……where you throw stuff when someone knocks on the door:) So with his teenage ways and my clutter, it was a sight to see. I plan to attack the kitchen too!
Thanks so much for hosting this… it’s definitely motivation I need to get my room ORGANIZED! I just hope I’m not biting off more than I can chew… gotta get that thought outta my head! :)
This is my first time to participate – this is really the kick in the butt I need!!
I am so excited. Maybe I will actually get something organized.
Okay I am determined to get my spare bedroom/craft room clean and organized before company comes for Christmas. There are also a few linen cupboards in my house that need work too!
I’m nervous and excited for this challenge! Thank you for doing this, I really needed it!
I finally posted my photos. Question: How are we keeping track of people’s progress? just going to their sites and looking for the labels? Or will there be updates every week? or are we just waiting for the very end?
Anyway I hope I can follow through. I have ideas and I have been wanting to do this for a while, but maybe this challenge will be the motivation I need to get really going on it. I just wish you all could be there in person to root me on!
Laura, I am so excited that you are having this challenge again! One of the last times that you did this, I had joined, but when the end time came and we were to show what we had accomplished, my camera had gotten broken. I am excited to join this challenge and have gotten a fair amount accomplished already. Thanks for the additional kick in the pants with this challenge!
This is great! I was planning on starting on my “project” this weekend anyway…now I have some added incentive. I’ll be posting pix later this weekend on my blog of my before pictures. Get ready…it’s a MESS! It’s my scrapbook room…need I say more??!
oops…I did what you said not too…It’s my first time trying to do a linky thing…I’ll try again after I’ve taken some pictures and actually wrote a blog. Thanks for the challenge.
I have only just found your blog and it has come at a good time as I need to do a serious push at sorting the biggest room in my house so we can use it as the main living space for Christmas. Have posted my before pictures, scary as they are!
I must be crazy–or delusional. I’m giving it another try.
I’m glad to see this contest because it’s just what I’ve needed to get to work on ’something’. Thanks for the opportunity to join in!
I’m getting in on this a bit late. Hope I can keep up! Goodness knows my home and my life could use a little, make that a LOT, of organization! :~)
I am late, but I have it up now!
I’m really excited about this! My husband and I have planned to do this for about a year. So, go figure, it takes someone I don’t even know to organize something to give us the motivation. Oh, well! It works for me!
Ok, my craft room is a disaster! I’ll have pics up soon!
this is a first for blogging and for being apart of this challenge for me, so its very exciting! looking forward to see what everyone else is doing…happy purging
I have been watching Clean House and Clean Sweep and all of those other shows long enough. Now it is time for me to get involved. I can’t wait to join in this challenge!
I’m starting a little late, but I’m ready to get started!!!!!!!!
OK, I am joining very late and just found this site, I am very excited to get the needed incentive to get my office/craft space organized, and to see how others have done. I will post my picture as soon as I get it.
Cool contest! Although i always procrastinate to tidy up and clean my room or the house for that matter, but I’m feeling a bit motivated now hehe ;)
A bit late – here’s my link to the post of the state of my living room before the challenge. An update is coming any day now.
I have updated my original post to increase the number of areas I am doing here: http://tc-twistedfairytale.blogspot.com/2007/11/30-day-organizing-challenge.html
I have added an update on my progress here: http://tc-twistedfairytale.blogspot.com/2007/11/tackle-it-tuesday-30-day-challenge.html
I can’t believe I’m actually attempting this… Thanksgiving, out-of-town guests, and I’m a week past the due date of my second baby… who refuses to appear! At least I can get something done in the meantime!
I’ve posted my permalink here. Is there anything else I need to do besides organize? You mentioned questions to answer. I’ve updated your link on my page as well. Thanks for hosting this challenge! Whether or not I win, I benefit! Diana
I permalinked my update and I included a picture of a junk drawer that I would like to use in the small space category.
Jumping in pretty late here with my entry, but I’m excited that I am able to clean out our garage.
Count me in!
I have just posted my ‘after’ shots and a discussion about what and how I did it. This was great! I wasn’t sure how to let you know I was finished. So I thought I’d just post the link here. It is 8:57 PT and I tried to get it all posted before 9PT so that it would REALLY be done before midnight ET. I’m so glad to have done this. When you read the post you’ll see why!
http://sweetmummy.lifewithchrist.org/permalink/37110.html
When is the next challenge going to be? I missed this one :(