January Cure 2025 - Tasks & Discussion

Too busy of a Friday and evening ahead, so I will count treating myself by enjoying a night out with friends tonight! I will be clearing bathroom clutter tomorrow and doing what I can to work ahead a little bit as I'll be traveling all next week. The Cure keeps me motivated to keep going even if or when I fall behind on the prescribed task of the day. Progress Not Perfection! Thanks!

I want to learn how to have my profile picture on my comments. I would like to see more profile pictures on comments. I have read and re-read the "directions" on how to do this and it doesn't work. Can anyone help me with this. Maybe I will see if I can get assistance with starting a new chat? ☺️(No that's not me - lol.)

Absolutely agree- opting out of unsolicited mail really cuts down on paper waste. Thank you for the thoughtful comment and links.

(AT: Maybe this could be a future assignment on a Cure calendar!)

Not sure if I got this idea from AT or not — probably!😊— but we started putting away living and dining room decorative items away in our Christmas boxes to make more room for holiday decorations. This helps make everything look beautiful and more serene for the holidays.
That is my cheat for the living room reset.

Now that the holiday decorations are packed up (my big task this weekend), I am taking my time reintroducing the normal stuff—and enjoying the emptier spaces.
My treat is relaxing and enjoying a new novel this weekend. (In keeping with my word(s), “at ease.”) I also aim to tackle the sideboard table in our bedroom which is a paper pile magnet.

This shade is wrong—but the shape is nice. It is from Pottery Barn, but I imagine you could find a much less expensive one. I might also look for a lighter color to go better with your nice floors and white table and mantel. It could easily tuck under the window or behind the recliner. Good luck; let us know what you do!

Hi @ZoePatricia

I understand how hard it is to make that bulky ever so comfy recliner not look like a bruised toenail on a well-manicured foot. We have two. What if you add a small table with a lamp that embraces it? A table that fits the rest of the room AND, definitely says, "Hey, I'm with him/her." You could put something on the table that is your dh's beside the lamp such as a book or an interesting container for his remote or glasses. You can't fight the presence of "The Recliner In The Room." It can only be embraced. LOL. I do not claim to be a professional by any means. I have fought the "Recliner Battle."

https://community.apartmenttherapy.com/profile/DanielaAraya

I did not do anything else, it just started to work. Your help and follow through are greatly appreciated. .

Re: Happy to see your profile pic showing up now! Did it finally sync up, or did you try something new?

Hi! Could anyone get the day 11 assignment to load? The link in both the email I received yesterday and the one that’s linked from the Cure calendar don’t load for me. Thanks!

yes, thank you so much!

I do see the benefits of "ALL" the assignments in January Cure (eventually, as some tasks may seem far removed from the goal at first). It beautifully comes together creating a useful "mindset tool" for  keeping up with organizing and cleaning our living environment throughout the year.
Thank you!

The two-minute rule frustrated me, because it takes five minutes to first gather my tools. I love the idea but I'm not sure this is realistic. Anybody else?

Hi, I also had to give thought to this "two-minute rule."

Then I decided to give it a run. Weirdly, with washing my dog's beard and ears. Not exactly a traditional house chore. However, a chore that was bugging me and one that I kept putting off the last couple of days "until I had more time." (It really "ONLY" took me 5 minutes.) My mind stopped nagging me. (I had spent way many more minutes being bothered by his sour beard - from when my husband had given him cottage cheese-lol.)

My point? It made sense. The next day, I went on to another "actual" two-minute "house task." I cleaned out the tubing in my vacuum cleaner - less than 2 minutes. (Old approach, wait until I can take apart and clean the entire vacuum.) These aren't repairs but the two-minute approach works. I would add the word "focus" to it. "Two-minute focus rule" … at the time of your choosing. It can be productive.

I agree with you, your tools or supplies have to be organized ahead of time (just the basics) and stored to have easy access. I am working on TASK 13 as we speak.

I was away for a few days, so didn't do anything for the weekend. I also thought I missed Monday and Tuesday, but I accidentally did those anyway. Yesterday, I was finally putting away Christmas and wanted to try putting the tree away in a wooden "pirate" trunk that was empty. I had some roller ball bearings that I had purchased to put on the feet of the trunk so that it would roll. So that was my "two minute" activity. It did take me a bit of time to find the right wood screws to use, but I already had them and I knew where the other tools were that I needed. It took about 15 minutes rather than 2, but it's done! As for the "audit", I have a running list of projects that need doing. Some have been on the list a long time, others appear suddenly and need to be done urgently, so they get fast tracked. I am working now on an inventory of my possessions, mainly just to see how much stuff I actually own and hopefully inspire me to own less. As for tools, I have them all and probably some I can let go of. It's really nice to have the things I need when I need them though, and they are reasonably well stored and organized at this point.

It's home project time, people! Day 14 is about

planning your home maintenance project

. What are you choosing from your audit list? Mine will be a painting job around the house. Anyone else doing paint projects?

I am! But my list goes like this:

1. Call my top three fave painters and see when I can schedule them to present bids for the job of repainting the family room and two adjacent hallways in a Valspar color called "Night Light," a creamy ivory shade that will work well with our plantation shutters and will both lighten/brighten and coordinate with existing items. It's a yucky grey right now (I love grey but not this particular purple-grey).

2. Choose the best bid and schedule the job.

3. Let them do the rest.

Sorry, but while I do a whole lot of my own work here, I am a truly terrrrrrrible painter, and it would certainly reduce the value of our home if I tried a DIY on this project.

But I can report good success with the weekly schedule of cleaning and other Cure tasks. My baseboards look great, finally, and there is not a single piece of laundry out of place. Floors shine, clutter is picked up, and hey, it's a pretty nice house when it's clean and cleared out. Thank you, Daniela and January Cure!

what a fun way to keep track, thanks for the printables.