Challenge #3- Videos & DVDs

How did it go with your junk drawer yesterday? Today we are going to make a real difference in your space by tackling your stash of videos and DVDs. 

Let’s recall the process we are using throughout the month:

THE PROCESS

• Gather your supplies:
  • Boxes or bags labeled with:
    • “Donate”
    • “Elsewhere”
    • “Store”
  • Trash can/recycle bin
  • Damp rag/wet wipe

• Empty challenge area for the day. And by empty, I mean EMPTY.

• Once the area is empty, wipe it clean with a damp rag.

• Now sort the items into these categories: (The Seana Method’s R.E.D.D.S. system)
  • R- “Restore”: items to go back in
  • E- “Elsewhere: items to keep, but which don’t belong in this space
  • D- “Donate”
  • D- “Dispose”: trash or recycle
  • S- “Store”: items to keep for sentimental reasons, or perhaps for a long-term future use, but which are not regularly used. (These items will eventually need to go into a bin/box in an attic, basement, or closet.)

• As you are sorting, put items into the boxes/bags you prepared.

• Once you are finished sorting, put the “Restore” items back into your designated area.

• Carry the “Elsewhere” box/bag around your house and redistribute its contents.

• Move the “Donate” box/bag to the car to be donated.

• Trash/recycle the “Dispose” items

•  Put the "Store" box aside for now. When the month is over, these items will be packaged for long-term storage.

THE TASK

Videos & DVDs are nice to have around, but they can quickly get out of control. The first step is to gather all your DVDs & videos and pile them up on a sorting surface. Now go through and remove the ones you know you don’t want (e.g. broken movies, movies you didn’t like, subject matter you aren’t interested in, etc.) Don’t feel guilty about getting rid of these, even if they were a gift.

Unless you have a currently operating VCR, feel free to pitch old VHS videos. Most charities don’t even want them anymore because the machines in which to play them are getting hard to come by. If you have some favorite movies on VHS, make a note to purchase a digital version (gift suggestion?). If you have movies of your family mixed in, set these aside because this is a larger project than we have time for today!

The next step is to go through and pull out all your “favorites”… the ones you love watching over and over. These are definitely to be “Restored”. If they are holiday movies, consider storing them with your decorations or in a climate controlled long-term storage area, instead of having them take up what The Seana Method calls “prime real estate”: the easy-to-access space. This also keeps these movies “special” for the holidays.

Now you should have a stack of the movies you aren’t sure about. Odds are that some of these belong to other family members, and you want their opinion before donating them. Stack them with a post-it note on top with the name of the decision maker, and have him/her review either today, or over the weekend. For the movies that remain, make a goal of donating 50% of them.

Now reload your space(s). How did you do? Let us know by posting comments or photos. If you are just joining us today, you can catch up on Challenges #1 and #2 over the weekend. Otherwise, rest over the weekend and we’ll get started again on Monday!

Submitted by Seana Turner, founder and President of The Seana Method