Conquer the Clutter: Master the Mess In A Month - Day 2

Day 2 - Since I am taking 3 days to do the Master Bedroom, today I am going to do the following:

1.  Vacuum and Dust the Master Bedroom - This is just regular routine maintenance, but it is a good time to do it anyway.

2.  Clean out the night stand and clear off the top - Start by clearing off the top of your night stand.  I don't have much on mine, so it will take 2-3 minutes tops to take everything off, dust and put it back.  For some of you who may have a lot on your night stand, now is the time to clear everything off, dust and only put back a light, a simple decoration and a book if you read at night.  You will feel more peaceful in your room when you don't have stacks of paper and books on your night stand.  We also have a telephone on our night stand.  If you have a computer or television in your room, think about putting it somewhere else.  The master bedroom is a place for peace. 
3.  Clean under the bed - I don't have anything under our bed, so this is easy for me.  Year ago, I read a book about Feng Shui and they suggested to keep the space under your bed clear.  I think it adds to the peace of the room where there aren't things crammed under your bed.  If you have things under your bed, consider finding a new place for them or get rid of them if you don't use, need or want them.  The goal for the master bedroom is to have a simple, peaceful, serene place.

4.  Clean sheets, blankets and bedspread/duvet cover - When was the last time you washed your sheets?  Hopefully it hasn't been more than a week or two at the most.  I try to clean blankets every 3-6 months and the bedspread/duvet every year. 

This should be a very easy day for me.  I put the sheets in the washer before I started cleaning.  Vacuuming and dusting took between 5-10 minutes tops.  The night stand should take about 30 minutes to go through things in the drawers and then it should take about 5-10 minutes to make the bed. 

According to a recently published book, Life in the 21st Century, clutter causes stress for women. Don't believe me?  Clear off a surface and put back 1/4 or less of what was on it before and see how much better you feel when you look at it. 

I plan to spend about an hour a day this month cleaning and decluttering.  If you find it takes you longer, there is no reason why you have to do it in a month.  Don't stress yourself out about this.  One thing you can try to do is to set a timer if you find you are taking too long doing something.  Instead of working an hour straight, I like to work it little bits, like a drawer at a time for example.  Figure out what works best for you.  There is no one right way.