The 15 Minute Organization Technique

Once upon a time my home was totally disorganized. Closets were the nightmares that no one wanted to open, and drawers were black holes that swallowed countless different items. It didn’t matter what I tried I just could not control the disorganization and the clutter. It seemed to accumulate at a faster rate than I could keep up. The problem was that I was looking at the whole project and was defeated before I ever started. What I learned to do was to tackle this monster in little tiny bites; and through these little tiny bites to control it once it was defeated. Fifteen minutes was all I needed. I call this the fifteen minute organization technique.

For this technique to be successful you need 4 simple tools to take with you to the area to be de-cluttered. You will need an egg timer, a garbage can, and two boxes. The size of the boxes will depend on the size of the project, drawers need shoebox size while closets require a larger size. The egg timer is to keep track of your 15 minutes. It is important to keep your project in 15 minute increments to prevent being overwhelmed. The garbage can is for garbage, broken items, and anything that can be thrown out. One box is for items that do not belong there and the other box is for things that you no longer use and can be gotten rid of.

The first step is to choose the spot in your home that you want to spend your 15 minutes on. Make sure that the area is not a huge area. If you have a walk in closet that is a disaster area you cannot do the whole closet in one 15 minutes session. However you could do 2 or 3 shelves or 1 rack of hanging clothes. This technique can be applied to all areas of the home, but it is not conceivable to be able to do a whole room in one 15 minutes when you are just starting. Once your home is in control then each room can be kept organized in 15 minutes. Once you have chosen where you would like to start, gather your supplies and head out.

Set your egg timer and begin removing items from the area. As you remove items then you must make some quick decisions. One, is the item broken or trash. If so then throw the item away. Two, do I use this item or need this item. If the answer is no, then put the item in the give away box. Three, does this item belong in this area. If the answer is no then you can put the item in the second box to go to where it rightful home is or should be. After doing this you should be left with only the items that are in good working order, you use, and belong in that area. These items can be neatly put back in the last couple of minutes of your time.

The last step is to place the giveaway items in the car and to place the other items in their rightful home. The reason for placing the giveaway items in your car is so you don’t rethink giving them away and put them back where you just took them from. Being able to get rid of items that are no longer useful is a key to this organization technique. Now step back and take a look and pat yourself on the back. You are now well on your way to total home organization and it only took you 15 minutes.