Although nothing beats an all-encompassing, good, deep clean, when it comes to maintaining a tidy home, little actions go a long way. It’s easy to put off cleaning up minor clutter in favour of knocking out every task in one fell swoop, but much like Rome wasn’t built in a day, your home likely didn’t get messy in a day.
With that in mind, breaking household organisation and decluttering into smaller daily and weekly blocks can make them more manageable. To help tackle untidy spaces, we’ve adopted a simple 15-minute decluttering hack. This hack is so straightforward that it seems almost obvious; however, consistently putting it into practice truly does transform the way you approach your chores.
Start by locating a storage basket or container (ideally one with handles) and set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes. Walk through your home and collect any items that appear amiss or out of place — think discarded toys, books and magazines, sweaters strewn over chairs or tossed on beds, empty drink bottles, and scattered debris. Don’t worry about putting these items away yet; simply focus on collecting them; you’ll be surprised at the amount of clutter you can gather by monotasking.
Then, walk back through your home and find a place for everything. Depending on the items, the ‘right’ place could be in the laundry hamper, on a shelf, in the sink, on a hanger, or in the trash. You can opt to do this the following day if you prefer, but completing it on the same day will give you peace of mind.
This approach can be applied to other facets of decluttering and household cleaning; the key to efficiency here is focusing on a single task or zone of the house rather than flitting between chores. The 15-minute time limit also promotes focus and prevents you from quitting and giving up. Decluttering the pantry, fridge, linen cupboard, or even your email inbox can be done one at a time, as can maintenance cleaning, like sanitising the toilet, mopping the floors, and wiping down surfaces in the kitchen.
