Week 11 – Big Spaces and Launching Your Spring

It’s Week 11 of the 2025 Clever Girl Organizing Challenge! We’re here in the final week, and this one is about thinking about how to take the learning and the efforts into your future! In some ways, Week 11 is more like starting at the beginning — taking an inventory of where you’re at and making some project plans and strategies for how to move forward through Spring. And for some of you, it means diving right in! 

Don’t forget the guidelines I’d love for you to keep in mind before you start your work:

1) Have the tools you need before you get started — trash bags, recycling, donate box, and “goes somewhere else” box (so you can set things aside and keep going, not be tempted to return things to a different space while you’re working). This week could also use a SHRED box or bag. 

2) Keep taking those BEFORE and AFTER photos, either for your own ability to see your progress, to to share your accomplishments and encourage others in the Facebook Group.  

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT

This week, I’m encouraging you to explore where you want to take your hard work forward and capitalize on the lessons you’ve learned, the progress you’ve made, and what else you know you can make happen for your home! I’m thinking about it in 3 categories:

1.  #Scaryspace: What we affectionately refer to as #scaryspaces: Garage, attic, basement, storage room/storage unit, shed, or big projects like photo or memorabilia organizing – more complex, more easily forgotten, more “deal with this later” kinds of categories. For some of you, this is where your time and energy in the next couple of months will be best spent, especially if you live in a region (like most, but not all, of us do) that working in some of these spaces just isn’t tenable until the glorious Spring weather arrives!
2. Spring Cleaning Plan – a real inventory and plan for action, room by room. This isn’t the decluttering work (not that you can’t do that!) but more the cleaning that we know can often be occasional work – things like window washing, cleaning the drapes and blinds, washing walls, shampooing rugs, washing baseboards, cleaning grout or caulking, scrubbing down cabinet doors, cleaning out the dryer vents, etc. 
3. The #ShouldList: What’s needed to fix / improve / enhance life here? I’m not talking “put on an addition” or “renovate the kitchen” (I mean, hey, if that’s already in your plans and your budget, have at it! I mean an inventory as you explore the house, room by room – what would make life in here easier / better / safer / more efficient / more joyous? What’s the stuff that nags at you and you say “We SHOULD do this” It can be things like:

• “the smoke alarms in the house are over 10 years old and should be replaced
• “I keep meaning to fix that hole in the wall” 
• “I wish those oil spots on the garage floor were gone”
• “I think it’s time to upgrade our son’s desk to something for a teen” 
• “I’ve been meaning to try to sell grandma’s china”
• “The laundry room really needs to be painted” 
• “I want to plan out this year’s garden better than last year and get seeds started sooner”
• “My daughter’s going to college this fall and I want to start gathering items she’ll need now”
• “We keep saying we need to get a will and our legal paperwork in order” 

You can see how this list can go on and on. The goal here is to do a walk through the house (and a walk through your LIFE) to start making that LIST of things you know need or deserve your attention, and then prioritize the ones that will GET it this spring! 

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1) Pick your priority category from the list above (#ScarySpace, Spring Cleaning, or #ShouldList) and start to create your Focus List. This may involve someone else in your home to both build the list and to create the vision for what the goals really are. 

2) Work on scoping out the list – what are priorities? Who would own it? When would these things happen? What do we need to have in place / resources would we need to bring in to make them happen? What would we need to do to communicate with each other about the projects (or, if you’re on your own in this, what kind of accountability or support would you need to keep the progress going?) 

3) START on the low hanging fruit – What are some aspects of your projects or priorities you can start this week to launch your Spring solidly? 

RETURNING CHALLENGERS FOCUS:

If you’re a Returning Challenger, you know you’ve ended The Challenge in the past and what it’s been like for you to consider keeping up the energy and effort in other seasons of the year. What are the aspects that get in your way of being productive? What are some of the things you can try to do differently this year to maintain your energy and focus to continue to make progress on your goals? 

WHY IS THIS SO HARD? 

As with all things in life, momentum can be hard. Getting started and sticking with things can be hard. New habits are hard to build and maintain. Finding energy isn’t always as easy as looking at the calendar and deciding it should be there waiting for you. (I always say, “You can’t schedule motivation.”) Sometimes, when you have the motivation and energy to do something, it’s just not a convenient time. And other times, when you definitely have the time that COULD be better spent on something “more important”, it can be really hard to motivate to do anything besides engage in some activities we might consider “less productive” (I’ll hesitate to refer to ANYTHING as a time-waster, but some activities might come to mind for you with that label.

One thing we haven’t spoken about much here during The Challenge is Productivity, and I work on a few questions and strategies with my Productivity Coaching clients all the time when we do what I call a “To-Do List Makeover” – analyzing and understanding why certain items linger on a to-do list, never to be completed, and in some cases, never started at all. Let’s walk through some of those questions here: 

• Are you clear on what needs to be done, what “finished” looks like?
  How often have we had the reflection that something that we put off for months only took an hour to finish? Or something that felt so overwhelming or we didn’t know where to start, once we had some help in breaking it down to create a plan, you started making progress almost immediately? (Or, the other side: we think something will take 5 minutes, and we’re off by a wild amount).

   

  This can come from not really understanding the scope of the task and understanding the time it would take. So the first question I always want people to explore with something that’s been lingering on their to-do list: “Do I understand the task, and do I know what ‘finished’ looks like?” This initial step can help articulate and scope what it involves and makes it feel a bit more achievable.

  One aspect it can reveal is when you are thinking of an outcome, not a task. Example: “I want to learn Italian” is an outcome. And it’s a project, not even a single task. It might start with a task: I’m going to find a study program that will help me learn Italian that looks like it will work for my learning style. After identifying it and obtaining it, the task might turn to scheduling time on your calendar to commit to a set amount of time each week to work on the lessons. 

  If you’re struggling with something like “Clean out the Basement,” when you give it more thought, you might realize that having a clean basement is an outcome, and the tasks you need to do need to be broken down, maybe have some particular sequences (like, you can’t clean out the storage shelves until you deal with the piles of items in FRONT of the storage shelves). Spending time exploring the tasks that LEAD to the outcome is a great first step to turn a to-do list item into action. 

   

• When you think about what needs to get done, is it aligned with the energy you can expect to have? 
  As mentioned above, you can’t schedule motivation. But something I like to do with some of my Productivity Coaching clients is talk about “Energy Management” not “Time Management”. We talk about giving items on to-do lists an “Energy Rating” – low, mid, high. Now, when I’m talking about energy, I’m talking more about the mental energy and effort required to take on a task, not necessarily the physical energy, but of course, that can be a factor. 

  
  For instance a “Low Energy” task might be folding the laundry. It doesn’t need a lot of attention, there isn’t much that’s going to happen in terms of mistakes if you don’t focus closely, it doesn’t require a specific rhythm or speed to finish properly. You can easily chat with others in full engagement for something that isn’t very serious, you can watch tv or listen to a podcast and catch everything, etc. Your brain doesn’t need to give the Low Energy task much more attention than basic. 

  A “Mid Energy” task requires some attention because it technically can be screwed up, but if something else required your attention while you were doing it, it probably wouldn’t be a high risk. An example might be making a recipe you’ve made many times, while also talking to your child or spouse or friend about something that went on during their day. It’s a recipe you know well, and may not even be using a written recipe to follow, and you can rely on muscle memory not only to do the work but also you’d catch yourself if you realize you missed a step, and missing a step would be a problem (It’s the “putting sugar instead of salt” or “did I forget to preheat the oven” or “I forgot to add vanilla to the batter” kind of problem that means SOME attention is necessary. In a “Mid Energy” task, you’re more likely to catch yourself making that error as you go and correct for it. 

  A “High Energy” task is something that needs a lot of concentration and you couldn’t possibly multitask and give your brain a distraction while doing it. It’s preparing your taxes, writing an important email, painting a room where speed and working with a “wet edge” matters, or, like the Mid example, working with a new and complicated recipe for the first time. It’s the activity you know that getting distracted, interrupted, or delayed means there’s risk to getting it right, and getting it right matters to you. 

  When I ask people to assign an Energy category to their tasks on their To-Do lists, that then allows them to “shop” during their available time for a task that matches their Energy availability at the time. We don’t always get the luxury of picking and choosing, but sometimes, the mere acknowledgement that “What I’m about to do, this thing that HAS to get done now, is a HIGH Energy task, so I need to make sure I’m setting myself and my environment up for success. I’m turning off my phone, or shutting down the TV, or I’m doing the things that will help me make sure this turns out how I want.” Additionally, when we’re feeling a bit low to be able to do much, or want to be able to get other things done simultaneously, shopping for a “low energy” task may be just the thing to take on to keep moving forward on your goals. 

   

•  When it’s time to get to work, are you ready? 
  I’ve been reminding you each week, “Have what you need to get ready to do the work.” It may sound like a silly reminder, but how often do we get derailed and delayed because we don’t have what we need in place before we get started? Sometimes, these are in our control (things we might need to have in place to start cleaning out the fridge thoroughly would include a trash bag and products to clean the shelving, for instance). Sometimes, they are NOT in our control (like not being able to start your taxes until you get all the paperwork mailed from your financial advisor or the bank or your employer).

   

  Sometimes, having what you need isn’t physical, but more conceptual. This might mean having a certain type of knowledge or skill, or being able to tap into an external resource or expert to help. I have this conversation with people around items that are lingering on their to-do list: “If you had NOTHING but free time for a week to get this item completed, would you be able to it?” and a surprising amount of time, surprising to THEM, at least, is “No.” Even with a week, they don’t possess the expertise or the resource to get it done. This is another reason why “time management” isn’t really about time, but about the task itself. 

  So, when you’re thinking about those items lingering on your to-do list, take a closer look: “What’s really standing in my way of getting started on this work, and what would prevent me from finishing once I started?” 

There are a lot of other aspects of productivity I could talk about, but these three questions are so universal to people that it’s a great starting point for you to reflect on your own list. When we understand better how we’re getting in our own way in terms of getting things done, we can identify those road blocks when they appear, and have a better chance of working around them. 

Remember: You’re here because you made a choice to bring your head, heart, and body all in the same direction: to let go of things and have smoother systems in your home. If it was easy, you’d be done by now.

This is our final week, and it gives you a chance to build on what you’ve done, and look forward with your new eyes regarding your home. We’ve been focusing on “What I own, why I own it, and where I keep the keepers” for much of this Challenge. We’ve looked at systems that help us with the critical processes that make our homes hum (putting meals on our tables, managing paperwork and bills, managing laundry, decorating for holidays, etc.). This week, we get to look further into the bones and bellies of our homes – “how can we continue to improve the value of our real estate and improve and extend the quality of our life here?”

Whether it’s getting all those windows cleaned or getting your will/estate plan done (finally), this week is about building strong foundations for our future. I can’t wait to hear what’s on your list! 

You’ll get another email from me next week after we’re done, so this isn’t goodbye! (plus, remember – the Facebook Group stays open and active all year!) 

Happy Organizing!

Kathy (aka Clever Girl)

NEXT FACEBOOK LIVE WITH KATHY
WEDNESDAY, MAR 19th – 7:30pm Eastern

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Week 1 – Jan 6: Kitchen: Food – Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer
Week 2 – Jan 13: Kitchen/Dining: What we use to prep, cook, serve, eat, store & clean!
Week 3 – Jan 20: Bath and Bed: Medicines, Toiletries, Cosmetics, Personal Items, etc.
Week 4 – Jan 27: Clothes, shoes, accessories
Week 5 – Feb 3: Home Office / Papers
Week 6 – Feb 10: Living / Family Room Spaces / Hall Closet
Week 7 – Feb 17: BREAK – take a break, catch up, or sneak ahead
Week 8 – Feb 24: Hobbies / Arts and Crafts / Sporting Goods
Week 9 – Mar 3: Memorabilia
Week 10 – Mar 10: Kid Stuff / Pet Stuff / Holiday Decor / Gift Wrap
Week 11 – Mar 17: Garage / Basement / Attic – launching your spring!