Three quick organizing projects you can do right now
Have less than a few minutes to spare? Try one (or more) of these quick organizing projects:
- Go on a clutter mission. Do you have books strewn around your home or office that should be on your bookshelves? Gather them up and return them to their proper space. Maybe instead of books, you need to hunt down coats? cups? junk mail? shoes? paper clips? Pick just one type of item, and quickly get it in order.
- Enter it. Are there phone numbers on business cards, scraps of paper, or in e-mails that should really be in your phone and/or address book? Give yourself three minutes and enter as many contacts as you can into your permanent system.
- Empty it. Spring is here in the northern hemisphere, and now is the perfect time to store your winter weather coats, hats, and gloves. Before you do this, however, you’ll need to have these items cleaned. And, before cleaning, you need to make sure all coat pockets are empty. Since you’re pressed for time right now, simply go through all of the pockets of your winter gear, make sure they’re empty, and get everything ready to be cleaned.
What other organizing tasks can be completed in three minutes or less? Add your quick ideas in the comments.
Posted by Erin on May 5, 2010 |
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28 comments posted
Posted by alfora - 05/05/2010
Cups and glasses!
You might have (nearly) empty coffee cups standing on your desk or other tables. Take them to your kitchen and DON’T just put them in the sink but in the dish washer.
Posted by littlepitcher - 05/05/2010
Round up items going out to charity stores and bag them. Or: clip address labels off magazines destined for donation, and bag them.
Read two (or more) e-mails you’ve been postponing, and delete or file them.
Posted by suse - 05/05/2010
Reduce that pile: Pick a pile of “stuff” on any flat surface, go through it and just toss the expired coupons, empty envelopes, and junk mail.
Posted by amanda lee - 05/05/2010
Going through your supply of old sunblock tubes. I buy at least two each summer, and I never use ‘em up. I imagine they lose effectiveness after awhile, right?
Posted by Ruth Hansell - 05/05/2010
Organize a drawer at a time in your office, kitchen, bath. Toss/donate the toiletry samples you don’t use, toss the pens that don’t work.
Get rid of the plastic grocery bags you’ve been accumulating – put them all in one bag to take to the recycle bin at the store.
Grab all the empty hangers in your closet and store at one end of the closet. Recycle the ones that came from the dry cleaners back to the cleaners.
Clear your desktop – virtual and physical.
Update your favorite websites list, delete the ones you don’t use. Put the rest in folders by topic. If you clean up/create a folder a day, you can get through it easily and painlessly.
Ruth
Posted by Erin Doland - 05/05/2010
These are great ideas! Keep ‘em coming!
Posted by Kathryn Fenner - 05/05/2010
Straighten up and fluff up the sofa cushions, refold any throws and fold over the arms or back of the sofa.
Pick up anything on your closet floors that isn’t where it belongs.
Go through your accessories–scarves, jewelry, belts–and donate/consign what you never use.
Pick the brown and yellow leaves off your potted plants.
Sweep the porch or deck.
Posted by MellieTX - 05/05/2010
Clean reciepts out of your wallet and file or check against bank statement and shred.
Posted by Kari - 05/05/2010
I did this just yesterday evening. I went through the weekly magazines, found out which ones the spouse had read, and tossed or put in my to read pile as appropriate. Took all of 3 minutes (since the hubster was home to ask) but made all the difference in the look of the living room!
Posted by Katharine - 05/05/2010
Clean out your purse. I always find receipts and trash in mine after a few days. It doesn’t matter how big or small your purse or tote bag is, it always has extra junk. I know it’s time when I can’t find anything or it’s too heavy.
Posted by kcoldie - 05/05/2010
Do you have lost of bookmarks for sites you visit occasionally to see what’s new? Spend a few minutes cutting out a bunch of browser bookmarks and web surfing clutter by subscribing to their news feeds on a feed reader r.g Google Reader. It saves you visiting the sites and keeps you iup to date.
Posted by GMT Billings - 05/05/2010
Corral all loose papers and things you intended to look over, read, or pay off surfaces and into your inbox. Return all stray writing implements to your cup or drawer. Herd paperclips.
Posted by Steve - 05/05/2010
Erin, these are the easiest things to do, and are my most common things to leave out. I am a serial clutterer, and it annoys me. Before writing this I put the plates in the dishwasher and my magazines in their bins, and it took 3 minutes. Thanks for the reminder to just do it and get it done. Steve
Posted by Donna - 05/05/2010
Here at the office I just sorted through the lunch menu file that we all reference, eliminating duplicates. Found we had 14 copies of our favorite Chinese takeout menu! The file is nearly an inch thinner now.
Posted by Dawn F - 05/05/2010
What about clean out the interior of your car? Grab the cups, kid’s toys, soccer cleats, etc., etc. Once it’s cleared out (trash tossed, items put up in house), do you still have time to wipe off the dash and/or vacuum? If so, do it! A clean car makes for a happy driver!
Posted by Karen - 05/05/2010
Go through one or two shelves in the pantry. If you find more than 1-2 of the same item, put it in a bag for the food pantry. We can donate at church, but also I think the big Post Office round up is this weekend. (?) Make sure to check expiration dates.
On a related note, pick through the items in the refrigerator – just the door or a drawer or two, if that’s all the time you have. Pitch rotting or outdated items. Wipe drips from bottles.
Put clothing away that is: Hanging on a door, hanging on a dresser knob, or laying on a chair/the floor/piece of exercise equipment/in the basket.
Posted by - - 05/05/2010
How about putting the clean, dry dishes away from the dish rack or dishwasher?
Posted by Jeri Dansky - 05/05/2010
For those in the U.S: Go through your pantry and pull out any food you’d like to donate to the National Letter Carriers’ food drive on Saturday, May 8.
Posted by WilliamB - 05/05/2010
If you can, break down a big task into little ones, and start on those.
Frex, I’ve been putting off donating suits to a charity. I figured out what the blockage was – valuation – so I broke down the tasks:
1. List/describe suits.
2. Find a valuation (I’ll probably do this a few at a time).
3. Write the valuation letter (the charity usually doesn’t want to do the valuation itself, but will sign a reasonable valuation prepared by someone else).
4. Contact charity, to get letter on their letterhead and to arrange a delivery date.
5. Put suits on hangers I’m willing to give away.
6. Deliver suits.
Now I have to get off my duff and do these things.
Posted by April - 05/05/2010
@Dawn F
Not just a happy driver, but a safer one. Imagine all that debris flying around and injuring yourself and passengers if you get in an accident!
As for the original topic, find any cluttered surface and scoop it all into a bin. Then sit down to watch TV—during commercial breaks, sort the bin. When the show is over, you’ll have neat piles to either put away or throw away (which takes 30 seconds to a minute to do), and a clean surface and an empty bin to boot.
Posted by Poppy - 05/05/2010
I have CLUTTER! When I leave a room, I try and pick up what doesn’t belong and PUT IT AWAY. It doesn’t take long to clear the visible clutter as we are usually moving from room to room.
Posted by Eva Wallace - 05/05/2010
Clean off your computer desktop; File away word documents and images and empty the recycle bin. Change your background wallpaper for a fresh space!
Posted by John Soares - 05/05/2010
Brush my golden retriever. Believe me, the hair she sheds is clutter.
Posted by Jess - 05/05/2010
Reclaim your dining room/kitchen table! If this takes longer, at least stack up the clutter in one corner so you can handle it when you have more time.
Posted by Ali - 05/06/2010
I love the 3 min unclutter. Maybe we could have a daily one on Twitter?
Posted by Michelle - 05/06/2010
clean out your wallet, go through your bag and clean out old stuff or update lip glosses etc, go through your phone and make sure all numbers are updated, clean our your inbox, phone and email. Take all the photos of your camera and sort them out. Clean through your files on the computer, file all loose paperwork away in filing cabinet.
Posted by pam munro - 05/07/2010
I AM a clutterer – but I DO always return objects to the space they “belong” – that is: dishes to the kitchen – clothes to the bedroom & hall – sewing supplies to sewing box – tools to toolbox – and so on – I am still cluttered & have a ways to go – but this simple habit DOES help me organize my stuff.
Posted by Diana - 05/10/2010
Have a daily mail routine, and a shredder. Take your mail straight to your desk, shred the junk, and immediately handle or enter/process any bills you receive. Take your magazines and mark them for reading in a box or magazine rack.
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