The following is a guest post from Crystal Barton.
Do you ever feel as though there is more month than motivation? Have you noticed about half way through the month you give up on the organizing goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the month because the tasks seem to be too much? Let’s change the way we look at the end of the month by Organizing Your Home With 10 Minutes a Day.
One of my most popular posts happens to be 25 Things to do When You Have 10 Minutes to Spare. This post has resonated with so many people for several different reasons. The first reason being, we all have 10 minutes to spare from time to time, but it’s what we do with those 10 minutes that matters. Do you tend to waste those minutes by doing something unproductive? Is it in those minutes you hear social media calling your name? I have to admit, I am guilty of this from sometimes as well.
Do you want to change that? Do you want to actually start noticing a difference in your life and in your home? If you said yes, then you will see your to-do list dwindle and your home begin to feel more together all with just 10 minutes a day. I heard you say YES! And then I heard a but.
Maybe you are lacking the motivation to get started or maybe you’re overwhelmed with your to-do list. Can you commit to doing one ten minute task everyday? Join me as I show you my secrets of getting stuff marked off my to-do list everyday.
Steps for an Organized Home in 10 Minutes a Day:
- Sit down and make a list of all the areas in your home that need some organizing attention. Doesn’t matter how small or how large, write everything down. Try to be as detailed as possible. For example, kitchen utensil drawer or linen closet. For a larger project don’t just say, garage. Instead give more details and say; remove all trash, gather outside toys and put them in one area, sell/donate bikes, create a space for gardening supplies.
- Add one 10 minute task to your to-do list everyday.
- When you find an extra 10 minutes, complete the task. Just make sure you do it before you go to bed.
Tips:
- Starting slow is more effective than trying to do everything all at once. Though we live in a time of instant gratification, when it comes to organizing your home, there is no such thing as instant gratification. You are going to have to work to earn the reward.
- Starting small really motivates us to keep going and to go bigger, that way when we get half way through the month we aren’t ready to throw in the towel. If you know you want to start with your kitchen first, you wouldn’t write organize the kitchen.
- Break down the task into 10 minute daily tasks like this: a drawer a day, then a cabinet a day. Then fridge, then freezer. Don’t forget to add your pantry. Do that task for 10-15 mins everyday and your kitchen will be organized in no time. If you have a longer task in your kitchen that needs to be tackled, save it for the weekend.
- Don’t wait until the end of the week to do an hour at one time, you will be less inclined to do the task because the task has now grown from 10 minutes to an hour.
Your daily action plan:
During the week, you need to accomplish one 10 minute task everyday. And then twice a month take on a task that takes more than 10 minutes. This is in addition to your cleaning routine you already have in place. You will begin to notice that once you are more organized, your house will be easier to clean.
Examples of 10 minute tasks:
- Clean out one drawer. Drawer dividers like these (affiliate link) work really well for keeping a drawer organized (as long as you put the items back where they belong). And, they are also adjustable to fit any drawer, which is a plus.
- Clean out one cabinet.
- Go through your shoes
- Organize your refrigerator
- Organize your freezer
- Make a meal plan for the next week
- Go through your coupons and make a grocery list
Some examples of organizing projects to do when you have more than 10 minutes:
- clean out a closet
- clean out your car
- organize your bills
Results:
You’ll notice that once you start these projects, keeping up with these areas will no longer take as long as they did the first time. If you keep your car cleaned out, it will only take a couple minutes to maintain every week. Then it won’t be so much about organizing your home, but simply maintaining it. If you happen to decide you no longer like the way you have organized something, add it back to the list of things to do and redo it.
I hope after reading this post about organizing your life in 10 minutes a day, it has motivated you to begin or continue on in your organizing journey. Remember, organizing your home doesn’t happen over night and it is something that takes time.
Hi there! I’m Crystal. I am a mom, wife, caregiver and lover of all things organized. I love to write, run, organize, laugh and spend time with those I hold closest to my heart. If I am able to do all those things in one day, I would say I had a great day.
- *Please note that affiliate links are included in this post to make it easier for you to find what is being referenced. A small commission is made should you purchase product using these links, but this is at no extra cost to you. As always, any and all opinions are genuinely my own – or the author, in the case of posts by my guest contributors. Thank you!*
Tricia says
Thank u 4 the 10 minute organization!! I will definitely try it!!
It truly will help me so I am not over whelmed!!
Crystal says
Glad to know it is something you can do. I hope it works for you. Let me know how it goes.
Katie says
Don’t know what kind of time you have in your hands but all if your ten minute tasks would take at between 30 mins to an hour in my house! And it’s a 2 bed bungalow with me & my bf.. No marriage,no kids.. Not even a dog! ????