You Can get Organized in 5 minutes!
Learn how to get organized in 5 minutes?
I have to be one of the most organized people you know. (Although I have been slacking a bit lately.) In fact everyone tells me that I’m a little OCD. I’m pretty sure I was born like that, but I’ve surely picked up some habits along the way.
These habits, which are normal for me, are not how most people live day-to-day. But by sharing some of my habits I hopefully can help you be more organized.
First, here is an easy-to-follow printable. It has a lot of ideas for quick fixes for each room. Use it to follow along with this post. Print it out and post in a location where you can easily view it every day. This will help you make some decisions based on what your time frame is.
How much time do you have to organize?
Yes, you can get organized in just 5 minutes. But think about what you can accomplish with 15 minutes, an hour, or more? Depending on how much time you actually have I will list some tasks you can complete in that time frame.
All of these tasks basically build on each other. If you have limited time you will start with a small task. If you have more time you will add another step to that task. Finally, you will be able to complete a whole project with multiple small tasks that add up to great results.
Get organized in 5 minutes
Have very limited time? There are lots of things you can do with just 5 minutes. For instance, you could grab a laundry basket and go around the house and pick up kids toys, laundry, or anything else lying around that doesn’t belong. Just this one task will make a big difference in how you home looks and feels. Now this task doesn’t include putting these things away. Just picking them up. Quick!
Clean some papers off your desk or dining room table. Use some kind of bin or basket to place the papers into and to get your desk looking neat. Now is not the time to sort those papers…yet.
How about clearing off your bathroom or kitchen counter? Put some items away into drawers, a closet, or pantry. Don’t worry about cleaning those places just yet. Just work on the task at hand…getting your counters clean.
Think about what other quick tasks you can do if you only have a couple of minutes a day. If you have more time, let’s see how we can build upon those 5 minute tasks.
Get organized in 15 minutes
Remember the task of picking up with a laundry basket? You could now empty the contents of that laundry basket into the correct locations. This still doesn’t include cleaning the area you are placing the items in. Just concentrate on putting the things in the basket into the right places. For example: kids toys into their toy box, your shoes into your closet, etc.
Now that desk of papers…How about going through the piles of papers you cleaned off your desk or table and sort or file them. Just focus on that pile of papers and nothing else. For a quick sort, go thru page by page and throw away anything you don’t need. You will cut that pile in half in just a few minutes. Have a few more minutes? Take your reduced stack and file anything that needs filing. Again, you will probably cut it in half. When you have more time you can finish off that pile.
For your counter top chore that we spoke about you can take it to the next step. Choose just one drawer or shelf, purge it, and organize it, in just 15 minutes. Have a little more time? Clean another one. Even if you just did one drawer or shelf a day, your room will be organized in no time.
The point I am trying to make is to “not” dive head first into a large organizing project. You don’t want to get overwhelmed. Take a few minutes at a time to break every task into manageable time blocks. It will get done…just not all at once.
Do you have an hour or more to organize?
Finally, if you have more time, take the previous ideas even one step further. For example, when you take your child’s toys to their room, instead of putting the toys into the toy box, take everything out of the toy box first. Purge it and clean it then you can put away the toys that were all over your house. That’s one big task to check off your list!
While cleaning your kitchen or bathroom choose one area to completely declutter and clean. It could be a closet, vanity, pantry, or cabinet. Instead of just clearing off the counter, or purging one drawer, take the time to do a whole area instead. Unless you have the time, don’t try and clean the whole room at once.
As you can see, you can use these task building ideas and apply it to any area, in any room, of your home. Just decide how much time you have and pick an appropriate chore. You will actually make progress in your organizing instead of putting projects off because of time.
You might like this…
For lots of ideas on choosing what to organize, and how to organize it, read my post “How to declutter: what, where, when, how, and why”
Use a cheat sheet to get organized
Trying to do everything at once will only leave you feeling overwhelmed. Use your time wisely and work on each area a little at a time. Just a few minutes every day will add up quickly. Before you know it your whole house will be organized.
Have more time for Organizing?
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Need some more organizing ideas? Check out my organizing category page