The 5 Minute Declutter: How to Declutter Your Home In 5 Minutes (or less).

Let me ask you…are you a busy person? Do you feel as if there are not enough hours in the day to get done, not only what needs to get done, but what you WANT to get done (like maybe a hot bath or 2 minutes by yourself without someone interrupting)?

I know what you mean. As a business owner by day…I never seem to have enough time. And, even though we have no kids at home, I tend to make a big mess all day while I am working. Lunch dishes in the sink because I ran the dishwasher after breakfast. Last night's throws still ‘thrown' on the sofa. Laundry piled up. Cat hair everywhere (what is up with cats and their hair!)

Now, my daughter had a baby 3 months ago. I make time to visit them, not only because I want to give sweet Eleanor kisses and smell her baby skin, I also want to help with the things that pile up and need done. Dishes in the sink, ironing, laundry that needs folded, sheets need changed….it can definitely feel overwhelming.

I have learned through the years that if you approach ‘picking up' as something that needs to be done all at once it can be way too much to handle. Who has that much time with a new born? Or with a business? Toddlers? Retired husbands? I certainly don't.

The 5 Minute Declutter

Do you ever feel like you don't know where to start with decluttering your home? You might feel that way because you're trying to declutter in a way that doesn't work for your lifestyle. The 5 Minute Declutter is a way for you to declutter. It is simple and sustainable. It gives you a roadmap to decluttering and organizing your home in less than 5 minutes a day.

A lot can get done in five minutes. I know that for a fact. Here are some examples:

• Empty the dishwasher
• Fold 1/2 basket of laundry
• Make the bed
• Fold the throws, put them away and fluff the pillows. And while you are in that room gather everything that does not belong
• Take everything that you gathered from above and place it in staging areas I.e. – upstairs things go on the bottom step. Downstairs things go on the top step. Closet things are set on a shelf in the closet.
• Grab the upstairs things and take upstairs and if have time, put them away. Same goes for the other piles of stuff. (Now, I don't grab and move until I am sure that I have everything that needs to go upstairs, downstairs, in the garage, etc). All in the interest of saving time…even though it would be nice to log those steps in my fitness app!
• Weeds pulled in the front yard
• Clean out a kitchen drawer. Or your sock drawer
• Rearrange the refrigerator
• Pick up toys and put in 1 large basket
• Wipe out the microwave and clean the counters
• Swish the toilets and wipe out the sinks with NON-toxic bathroom cleaners

Keeping things simple and easy? Multitask!

Or, how about when you are on the phone…put those headphones in so you are hands free and GET. IT. DONE. So much can be done while talking on the phone.

One of the reasons I love the 5 minute declutter so much…

I can see tiny improvements without a whole lot of effort. It's almost as if I did nothing…but at the end of the day I am not faced with the overwhelming task of putting it away and cleaning right before I go to bed. Win win all around in my book!

My daughter, Nicole, (the one with the new baby) and her husband, Zach, just put together a ‘Before we go to bed checklist'. Zach leaves the house at 3.45 AM every day and gets home around 6 (Big time cross fit guy so he goes to the gym before work). Which leaves Nicole at home with Eleanor and all the great and amazing things that go with a newborn… including NO time.

So, rather than Zach getting up even earlier or Nicole getting up and being faced with EVERYTHING… they do it at night. I think it takes them between 5-10 minutes each. Fold blankets, fluff pillows, dishes dried and put away, lunches packed, Eleanor bottle stuff out and ready, coffee components out and ready, clutter picked up and put away. Laundry put away. All of that great stuff…which leaves the next day open and ready to get it all messy again! With Nicole doing her five minute declutter things all day too!

A few less things lying around will lead to less overwhelm…which gives your mind room to figure out how to Choose Joy…everyday!

Before I forget – the ‘Five Minute Declutter‘ that you see is part of my Joyful Living Toolbox. Check it out for sure. Tons of great tools to help you live a joyful and more fulfilled life.

Keep in mind decluttering, in itself, will NOT create joy in you. But it will for sure give your mind some peace..which then gets you ready to choose joy….everyday.

Now, sometimes life can get pretty overwhelming, right?

Especially when everything is cluttered and a mess.

And sometimes, when you are overwhelmed, stress sets in.

And when stress sets in it is sometimes difficult to be happy or joyful. So, please don’t let stress have the last word! 

Go on and take a look at the ‘Top 5 Stress Reducers’ (Action Plan included). So that you can eliminate what causes you stress and get on the path of living a joyful life.

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

• What is Joyful Living?
• 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy
• Finding Joy in All Things
• What Does God Say About Joy?
• Difference Between Happiness and Joy

PIN FOR LATER: THE 5 MINUTE DECLUTTER