The importance of 15 minutes

How many times do we waste 15 minutes by zoning out in front of the television (or Facebook, Pinterest... you get the idea)?  Most people don't realize how much can be accomplished in that short time.  One of  the ways I challenge my clients to keep their space organized is by keeping a 15 minute time set aside for cleaning and organizing at a specific time of day, every day. This technique also works very well to make progress on an unorganized space.  Sometimes, if we're feeling overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done, breaking it down into short 15 minute intervals keeps the task manageable.

Image by Salvatore Vuono, freedigitalphotos.net

When do you spend the 15 minutes?

Which time of day you choose to create your routine really depends on your lifestyle.  For many clients, using 15 minutes just before bedtime works well. Going to bed with an uncluttered space makes for a peaceful sleep.  For others, morning is the perfect time to set aside a short time to re-organize, before the craziness of the day sets in.

What do you do in the 15 minutes?

​Each day pick one area in your house to spend 15 minutes putting things in order or cleaning. Depending on the state of your space, your 15 minutes can be spent in the family room putting children's toys away. (By the way, children can and SHOULD participate in the 15 minute routine!) Or, you might be able to quickly go through a bedroom closet and pull out items that need to be repaired or things for donation.  For those families really on the ball, that 15 minutes may be a whole house tidying period.  Whatever it is, the entire family can get involved.

Value of routine revisited

In my last post, I talked about the establishing routines.  I think it's very important that this 15 minutes gets incorporated into your routine (morning or evening).  Sometimes, especially if children are involved, it's nice to incorporate this 15 minute tidying time into the evening bedtime routine - tidy for 15 minutes, bath time, read story, then bed.  Children thrive on this sort of schedule as they know what to expect.  And - bonus! - it teaches them the value of routine!

If you're having trouble getting started with your routine, let me help you.  Contact me to schedule your 1 hour consultation.  That may be all you need to get on the path to a clutter-free, peaceful home.