Hey lovely people, how are you? I hope you are having a great week. Have you been able to set aside any time to organize this week? When we are already so busy, it can be so difficult to find time to organize a drawer of all things. Am I right?
Yet logically we know that if we just organized that overstuffed drawer we’d simplify other areas of our life. An organized kitchen drawer can make getting dinner on the table so much easier and less stressful for instance. We know it something that needs to get done but when? How to make it happen without losing our marbles and staying up until 4:00 am? How to we make time to organize in the midst of already busy days? What I’ve found works for me is to organize in the small pockets of time throughout the day. Don’t throw tomatoes at me yet, let me explain 🙂
Pockets of time is really how I get most of my organizing done. This past week I did quite a bit of organizing throughout the day and shared a bit of that process in video on my Instagram Stories. Which, by the way, was so outside of my comfort zone but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I’d love to do more Instagram Stories for you so I’m taking baby steps to try and get past my fear of judgement. One day I may even show my face ha! Anyway let me share with you my top 5 steps on how to find time to organize.
How to Find Time to Organize in the Midst of Your Busy Day
Make a List
Okay so I promise I’m not trying to make more work for you here but it really does help if you have a list going of what spaces in your home you want to find time to tackle. Put this list where you can see it on an everyday basis as a visual reminder. I actually have a free printable list of 15 minute organizing tasks you can tackle that I’ll link for you below if you’d rather use that. Be sure to highlight or check off tasks on your list as you get them done.
Work on One Small Space at a Time
If you have on your list that you want to organize your entire pantry, you have to know that it can be really really hard to come up with a large chunk of time involving several hours to get it all done. Like almost impossible for some. I get it, I do. That’s why we have to change our thinking. We may not be able to get it all done but we can break down the larger space into smaller tasks. Instead of the entire pantry, you can organize a shelf of your pantry in 15 minutes or less and that is way more manageable, don’t you think? One shelf done is better than none!
Recognize Your Pockets
Pockets of time are those free moments scattered throughout the day, often when we transition from one activity to another or waiting for an activity to complete, where we may have some time to squeeze in an organizing task. This, of course, will look different for everyone depending on your life circumstances. An example of something I do, for instance, is I tidy up my kitchen every morning in the amount of time it takes my kettle to boil for tea. Similarly, I organized some plastic drawers the other day while I was waiting for dinner to cook.
And discovered I’m a headphone horder. There were 7 pairs of headphones in this drawer. What in the world? Bye, bye!
In another pocket of time on the same day I organized some more drawers. My Command Hooks went from this:
to this in a very short amount of time:
These organizing tasks were part of my bigger office organization project that happened over a number of weeks.
It is possible to find time to organize in pockets throughout the day you just have to be intentional about it especially at first until you get into the habit of doing it.
I’m not sure about you but often my natural tendency is to just jump on social media in these pockets. Sometimes we aren’t even aware how much time goes by when we hop on social media for a “minute”. We assume there isn’t enough time to do anything else. Yet you might be surprised by what can get done in the same amount of time.
Change this thinking and watch how your house transforms.
People that aren’t use to working in short time snippets always tell me afterwards how surprised they are by what they got accomplished.
As you go about your day look for these pockets of time and use them for your sanity saving benefit! And yes that sometimes might mean locking yourself in your bedroom with a vat piece of chocolate. Life is hard sometimes and sometimes chocolate is just as sanity saving as an organized pantry 🙂
Let Go of Perfection
Like time, perfection will also stop us from getting things done. I know how this goes because I’m guilty of this one myself. If we can’t do something perfectly, we put off doing it at all. Yes? Are you raising your hand? Can you relate? We have to stop this pattern of thinking because you know where it gets us? NOWHERE, that’s where. We put up with messes and chaos simply because we don’t know how to do something perfectly, we don’t have the money to do it perfectly or we don’t have the time to tackle something in it’s entirety. Stop it! Remember what I said earlier?
Repeat after me: One shelf done is better than none!
What our goal should always be, first and foremost, is to create a space that lends itself to a more simplified, less chaotic life. It is entirely possible to have a space that does this for us that is not Pinterest perfect. Yes it is!
Remember any purging and sorting you do is still going to be an improvement on what your space was before. Any improvement is a step in the right direction. Yes it still may not look “put together” but it’s still a win. Progress over perfection!
Shop Your Home
Who doesn’t love a beautiful container? I know I do! However, speaking of perfectionism, we can’t let ourselves get hung up on not having the right one. If you need to containerize something in your pantry, grab a cardboard box for now and use that. Or take a quick walk around your house for something that you could make work. Remember function always come first. You can upgrade later when you finish an entire area. When you get stuck on having the “right” container, it will only slow you down and cause you more stress. Once the whole space is complete you’ll have a way better idea on what you need.
I hope this helps you look at your day a little differently and you find time to organize in the mist of your busy day. Keep me posted about what you accomplish!
You can get this free printable by signing up to my email list below. Thanks!
Have a wonderful weekend y’all!
Riley says
Great ideas! I can see that you’re a devotee of Flylady!!
Laura Wittmann says
I’ve heard of Flylady but I don’t much about her techniques though.
Susan says
Another fantastic post, Laura. As a spoonie, I have given myself a whole year to get organised.As you say one shelf at a time. my biggest takeaway is to use what you have as the amount of times I stop half way through or don’t even start because I don’t have a box I like.
It’s amazing the sense of satisfaction you get when you finish a space though, isn’t it!
p.s. sorry, I have unsubscribed but I am following you in my blog reader as I was drowning in email and behind with everything. Another organisation project!
Laura Wittmann says
Totally fine Susan, I totally understand the need to simplify!! Good for you!
Cheryl Strachan says
This is great advice, as usual! Thanks for the nudge. Good for you on the Instagram stories. I’ve been thinking I need to do that too. I really have no idea how, but it can’t be that hard. Take care. 🙂
Laura Wittmann says
I really don’t know what I’m doing either Cheryl. I see others doing all sorts of neat things on there but I can’t figure it out haha. I’ll try again this week and see what happens 🙂
Barbi K. says
thanks for all the great ideas and the kick in the pants!
Laura Wittmann says
Hi Barbi! So glad you don’t mind a gentle kick 🙂
Verena says
Yup, thanks for the kick also….I get stuck in my own indecisiveness and perfectionism.
Mary Johnson says
My time problem is that my time is not my own. My husband is with all day/night, every day with the exception of one day a month that I go out for work (which is, of course, completely taken up by the hours long commute and the work – no breaks, and the day I go to my embroidery guild meeting once month 10 times a year. On the day I go to my EGA meeting I run errands after it, the stuff that annoys husband – returning soda bottles, etc. and by the time I get home, get a chance for my once a day email check it is past time to start dinner and jump into what I normally do in the day.
My husband had agreed when he quit his job that we would go about separately, but in the ensuing decade that has changed for several reasons. Lunch alone went from a sandwich at home to 45 min lunch at Wendys 6 days a week ($3.23 for the 2 of us) and Costco lunch on Sunday for a change. We barely get home each day in time for me to check email (20 minutes top)maybe pay a bill and start dinner.
So there are no pockets of free time. I have to figure out what not to do to get a chance to do organizing.
Lisa J says
I love to organize, but have much to do. One thing, though, is that when I get a space done, it is SO satisfying. Like I’ll go open that linen closet and proudly admire my organized space! I wonder if this is normal.
Laura Wittmann says
Totally normal! 🙂