15 Minutes a Day…Keeps the Clutter Away!
For today’s 15 minute challenge, we are going to choose 15 minutes a day to dedicate solely to organization and decluttering.
A Little Math
My middle schooler had a math problem yesterday that made me pause. It was something to the effect of “ Johnny spends 5% of his day doing homework. How long does he spend on homework?” After way too much time spent on a 6th grade math problem, we figured out that 5% of a 24 hour day is 1.2 hours. This got me thinking. What percentage is 15 minutes of my day? Answer: about 1%. When I think about it that way, 15 minutes a day doesn’t seem too bad! Today, we are going to choose your 15 minutes a day. We are committing to 15 minutes a day, every day, to help keep the clutter away…and at bay… so we can play. OK, I’ll stop now. 😆
Small Steps for Big Impact
Like any good habit, organization is a process. You can’t snap your fingers and be organized, just like you can’t instantaneously be fit, or a financial guru, or an expert on parenting. You learn as you go and commit to doing better than you did the day before. That’s why I love doing 15 minute challenges. I literally do 15 minutes of organizing/cleaning every day and it’s become a habit in my life. I may not have time to clean the whole house or complete all the laundry, but I can do 15 minutes of something. Usually, that 15 minutes is enough to restore order so I don’t feel CRAZY! For today’s challenge, all I want you to do is choose YOUR 15 minutes.
Designate Your 15 Minutes a Day
When can you commit to 15 minutes that is completely dedicated to your home, your space, or your digital life? This should be a time when you are naturally not doing anything specific. A span of time that you recognize as a natural spot to add this 15 minutes. For me, I have settled into a little routine. I get everyone off to school, walk the dogs, and I do a little 15 minute “spin.” I get the house what I like to call “Roomba ready.” I start in one room and clear the floor (clear, not clean), clear the surfaces and keep pushing everything into the direction of the kitchen. If something needs to go upstairs, I set it on the stairs. Then I start the Roomba and clean up the kitchen from the morning whirlwind. Once everything is “visually” set, I sit down, ready to work. This little “spin” helps me feel settled and ready to be productive. To watch my spin click here: 15 Minute Morning “Spin”
Write it Down
Once you’ve decided on your 15 minutes, I want you to write it down somewhere. Write it in a planner, in your journal, on a calendar, or on a post-it that you can stick on your mirror. It doesn’t matter where, but by writing it down you are telling your brain you are serious. It’s science. When you write it down, be specific like in a S.M.A.R.T. goal. To read more about S.M.A.R.T. and D.U.M.B. goals click here. An example would be, “I commit to 15 minutes of cleaning/decluttering/organizing every day before going to bed.” Another example, “I am going to clean up the kitchen for 15 minutes after breakfast every day.”
To get a S.M.A.R.T. goal planner sign up here:
Tell Someone
Along with writing down your intention, I want you to tell someone. I’m TERRIBLE about speaking my intentions out, so I’m committing to this as well. I can live in my head all week, and then it will all come tumbling out on my poor husband all at once. So I will join you and let someone know my goal of taking 15 minutes to declutter and organize every day. Who knows, maybe they will want to join you or cheer you on. If you want to come shout it from the rooftops online, feel free to come state your intentions in our Facebook Group: Organizing Tips and Tricks. I’ll cheer you on and do a happy dance!
Let me know how this 15 minutes goes for you? Did you choose your 15 minutes a day yet? Is it hard to sit and think about your time in this way? Do you already have a time in mind or is this something that you are already doing? I love to hear what works for other people, so please feel free to leave me a comment. If you are looking for some more 15 minute challenges, look in to the 7 Day Digital Declutter Challenge now to start organizing your digital life!
4 Responses
I love the 15 minute a day challenge. Suggesting people pick the best time for them and write it down gives them a better chance for success. I used to do the 15 minutes in the morning and for me, it turned into more time and I wouldn’t get the work done in my office that I wanted to do. I had to give up the idea of straightening up the house first thing in the morning. I think I really do it in 3 – 5 minute blocks. I’ll do stuff while I am waiting for the tea kettle to boil when I am getting something ready for lunch or at the end of my workday. Disorganization drives me crazy so it is easy for me to see it and fix it quickly.
I think this is a great idea! Spring is the perfect season to “lighten up” with 15 minutes a day. Telling someone is an excellent way to keep yourself motivated. Especially with someone who will (kindly and gently) follow up.
Thanks for the reminder to share the intention. I always forget this part as well. Intentions written down are important but saying them solidifies them because they are out of your thought process. And, if you are a person who likes to keep your word, this will force you to get the intention finished.
Going small and using 15-minute blocks of time to get organized or to clean-up makes so much sense. We often don’t have hours on end to devote to maintaining systems. But using a tiny block to get as you said, “Roomba ready” is awesome.
I’ve never timed myself, but there are certain ‘readiness’ activities I do each day that also help me feel ready or settled. At the start of the day it includes making the bed and getting the breakfast dishes put away. At the day’s end, it includes clearing my desk and any other surfaces where ‘stuff’ has migrated. So I wake up to clear and end my day with clear.