5-minute organizer

How often do you find yourself zoning out during TV commercials? And how many times each day do you wait for something...the oven?...the dryer?...the clerk at the store?...the kids to get out of the bathroom? Take advantage of these down times and use it to start clearing your clutter.

step 1:
Make a list of all the trouble spots in your home, your office, or your life that cause you the most stress. Maybe it's the junk drawer in the kitchen, the hall closet, the mudroom, or the entire basement. Just get them down on paper so you have something to look at and remember

step 2:
Subdivide your list into several five or 10-minute tasks.
Example: Junk Drawer in Kitchen
- 5 min: empty the drawer onto the counter and wipe down the inside
- 5 min: toss out any trash, broken objects, or unused pieces
- 5 min: categorize what is left, putting like items together
- 5 min: put everything back into the drawer

**in just four 5-minute segments, your junk drawer is history! You could accomplish this all during the commercial breaks of your favorite evening show.

step 3:
Make Time: once you have your list divided, you must set aside the time to organize. Maybe you do it after the kids go to bed or maybe you set your alarm 10-minutes early. Either way, you need to set the date and time and then stick to it. If you only set aside five or 10 minutes, set the timer and quit when the time is up. Don't abuse your time or you will likely burn out.

step 4:
Start De-Cluttering! Now you just have to get started. Once you start, you will be amazed at how much you accomplish in just five minutes...and how quickly those brief sessions cut down on your clutter. Who knows, after a while, your five minutes might stretch into 30-minutes or more. The key is to be consistent. Soon, those mountains of clutter will become molehills!


clear your mental clutter too:
The same five-minute intervals can be applied to your mental clutter as well. After a long day at work, taking care of the kids, household chores, meals, meetings, soccer practice, etc. you are likely to feel pretty run-down at the end of the day.

solution:
Treat yourself to several five-minute breaks during the day. You could sit outside for lunch, go for a walk around the parking lot at work, soak in the tub before bed at night, or watch a sunset. A little personal time more than pays for itself by enhancing your effectiveness at work and at home with your family.