I think with the diagnosis and all the medical appointments I’d forgotten that it is actually spring, a lovely time of year that I look forward to for a little kick-in-the-pants house action.
I’m a big fan of starting small to build momentum (you might resonate with some other reasons) so I put together 15 15-minute decluttering and organising tasks for us all to do. See how you go – do one a day and maybe on the weekends, you can do more an hour’s worth.
I like to set a timer and listen to a podcast or audiobook while tidying; and sometimes I also put on some 80s get up and go music.
Here we go:
- bedside table (honestly, I probably do 10 minutes on my bedside table every week)
- medicine cabinet (remember to bag up expired medicines and hand them in at your nearest pharmacy; don’t just chuck them down the toilet or in the bin)
- jewellery
- underwear
- socks
- winter pyjamas – winter has just ended so it’s a good time to see which items you avoided or that are too stretched/ old to hold onto
- handbag
- laptop bag
- make-up bag
- nail polish
- wallet
- desk and if you have desk drawers, you might need another 15 minutes here
- fridge (another area I do a 10-minute stint in every week)
- entrance way table or dining room table (the place where things get dumped by the whole family) In my house it has been both these tables, depending on the house
- car (and boot)
- cutlery drawer
- junk drawer
- pick one cupboard in your kitchen – plates, bowls, glasses, plastics, etc.
- water bottles
- foil/ bin bags/ baking paper/ plastic wrap
From the time I’ve allocated (15 minutes), you can see it’s not deep, agonising organising. It’s going with your gut instinct and answering 5 quick questions:
- What sparks joy?
- What doesn’t spark joy?
- What’s old and no longer works well?
- What have you not used?
- What’s past its sell-by date (actual or in your life)?
I did my jewellery this weekend – cleaned everything (I use a dip), rinsed and air-dried, and then I rearranged and this is when you find things you forgot you owned, and so I’m wearing different earrings today.
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