I know the house is getting too cluttered when I feel stressed looking around our living areas. It’s like a little panic catches in my throat. And it’s always those areas that generally collect clutter — end tables by the sofa, the bench by the front door. You know those spots, they’re in your house too.
It’s amazing how much better I feel if I challenge myself to spend just five minutes decluttering. Even as an active minimalist, we still have stuff that gets donated, goes to the garbage, and just needs to be put back in its home.
Here’s some 5-Minute challenges I gave myself over the last little while.
The end table on “my” side of the sofa, where I sit and crochet while we watch TV. This table is ALWAYS cluttered with tools from my current crochet project. But sometimes, it’s nice to see the table top! So, I spend a few minutes tidying up and putting everything away, knowing that evening I’ll be bringing it all out again! 5 minutes.The end table on my husband’s side of the sofa. As it’s also closest to the hall towards the front door, it collects items that belong in the laundry room junk box and sometimes out to the garage. Not to mention, last night’s mugs and snacks. 🙂 5 minutes.My bedside table is another area that gets very cluttered. Here, I put away the books that I’m not currently reading and left on the the ones I’m motivated to read now. There was some garbage clutter and reorganizing of the charging cords, etc. 5 minutes.
A box full of birdhouses my husband built that are waiting to be painted, got moved to the office closet until we’re ready to finish that project. The rest was leftovers from a reno project that needed to go to it’s home. 5 minutes.
Thinking about decluttering or minimizing your whole home or a room or even a closet or pantry can feel very overwhelming. Breaking these projects down into small steps eliminates the negative stress and you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done in just a few minutes when you’ve selected a small space.
Share your 5-minute challenge with me in the comments, or tag me on Facebook and Instagram, @suzannegouldenILC. I would love to see your progress.
