7-Two Minute Organizing Tips for Home and Office
Do you feel as if you’ll never get caught up with paperwork? Have too much stuff laying around that is driving you nuts? Clutter, clutter, everywhere?
I love, love this philosophy…If it can be done in two minutes of less, do it now! Working with this mindset will allow you to keep clutter under control and eliminate pile management.
So, here are 7 tips that will help keep you organized. Each of them take no more than 2 minutes of your time.
1. Filing – Have files that have stacked up? Are they in danger of falling over and causing an even bigger mess? Grab as many as you can comfortably handle and file them away.
2. Get a grip on your paperwork. Handle mail on a daily basis. Do one of three things with the mail every day: shred, toss or file. (I have an awesome daily filing system that I would be happy to share with you).
3. Stay focused on one area. It is amazing what you can accomplish in just two minutes when you don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Stick to one area for two minutes. If this is clearing off your desk, organizing a book shelf, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stick to one area for a solid two minutes.
4. Have a dedicated place to put everything that comes into the office or home at the end of the day. Make sure that every child has a specific hook, basket or corner for their school items. Parents should have a dedicated place to put their briefcase and/or purses. Don’t allow things to be put “wherever” is the most convenient (like the nearest flat surface). Within two minutes everyone can have their things in a specified location. In our home shoes come off and go by the kitchen door, socks come off and go directly into the hamper and any cups or lunch items from the car go directly to the sink to be rinsed and then into the dishwasher. This also gives everyone responsibilities and teaches great life skills.
5. Manage your laundry. Use laundry sorters with at least three sections so that you can quickly reach in, grab and load clothes and then move on to the next thing on your To Do list. Having everything pre-sorted will save time and energy.
6. Grab and go….you can use this technique in any room and it can be done by anyone old enough to make decisions. Grab: a section of clothes from the closet, a pile of papers, a box that is sitting around, CD’s, DVD’s….just about anything. Grab them up and set the timer. Spend two minutes eliminating what you don’t need to keep. Everything that needs to go is put directly into a bin or trash bag. A few grabs can quickly clear an entire space.
7. Clean up your home and office as you make the mess. Don’t let it accumulate! Don’t wait until another more “convenient time” to do something. If you have finished with a file, put it away. Deliveries packaged, put them into a designated place. Finished with your meal, put the dishes in the dishwasher, not in the sink. Trash is full, take it out to the dumpster.
What this all boils down to is that there is a LOT of things that you can do in two minutes or less! Really…letting things wait until a more convenient time just allows the clutter to explode. Take action, don’t sit back and wait for someone else to step in. Be Proactive and Stop Procrastination Now! And, remember, NO PILE MANAGEMENT!
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