How To Find The Time To Declutter: The Easy Trick To Getting It Done Painlessly

Almost everyone has plans to declutter their home. Unfortunately, getting around to it isn't always easy. It's an important task that is often ignored for more pressing matters. After all, decluttering is an intimidating process that always feels like it takes a lot of time. Though it seems daunting, it doesn't have to be that way. One of the easiest decluttering methods to try is to focus on concentrated areas for short bursts of time. Known as micro-decluttering, the trending method that could transform your home, it breaks down the task into manageable 10- or 15-minute chunks. Then, you simply try to do one or two of these sessions every day.

While micro-decluttering is a great idea, it can still feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you're busy with daily life from the minute you wake up until the second your head hits the pillow. Even if you have a few minutes to breathe, you probably don't want to spend them decluttering. However, it's easy enough to find those small windows once you get in the habit, and it helps you be more productive without taking away your precious free time. All you need to do is find those moments where you are already in a room and have a few minutes to sort through a shelf or drawer while you are waiting on something else. These periods happen fairly often, so using one a day for decluttering should be simple enough for most. 

Now that you've decided micro-decluttering is for you, the next step is to determine when to give it a try. Thankfully, you can find lots of moments to declutter in a typical day. For example, if you're in the kitchen waiting around for something to cook, this is a good time to pick a drawer in your kitchen and sort through it. 

Decluttering your counters while you wipe them down after cooking or sorting through your dishes as you are putting them away lets you find other little micro-doses of decluttering. If you have a child, you're probably always cleaning up after them. Sort through their toys as you put them away, or declutter their clothes while picking out their outfit.

If it's difficult to find space for 10 or 15 minutes of decluttering, start smaller. Don't think about the time. Clean up one shelf in your medicine cabinet as you brush your teeth, or sort a drawer while waiting for your lotion to absorb. Clean up your jewelry box as you pick out your accessories. A shorter session is also a good chance to look over the items you can toss to declutter your living room on the spot and see if you have any that are simply taking up space, like newspapers or flat throw pillows.

Of course, even if you can find a spare few minutes, your decluttering sessions won't always be productive. You may want to spend that time organizing a shelf in your cabinet, only to realize you managed to find a place for just a few boxes by the time your alarm rings. Then, you are left more frustrated than when you started.

To combat this, consider using one of your weekly sessions to declutter your mind. Use one period to plan out your decluttering goals for the week. Think about what you'll need to accomplish your main goals — such as a few containers to sort loose small items. You can say goodbye to messy drawers with the help of a few IKEA finds, for example, or you can remove utensils that don't really fit in the space and move them somewhere else. It doesn't have to be detailed, but it can keep you in check if you feel overwhelmed. 

You can also work to make your sessions more fun. Perhaps this is the perfect time to listen to your favorite music, audiobook, or podcast. Having the ability to do what you enjoy along with something you don't makes it a lot more tolerable, and may actually make you excited for the work. You can also reward yourself after the fact with a little treat for a week of productive decluttering.