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Clutter can be overwhelming and affect your quality of life. These quick decluttering projects only take a few minutes, but will make your life easier.
Clutter.
Nobody likes it. It overwhelms some of us to the point that we can’t deal with it. If you’re reading this, then clutter is probably having a negative impact on your life. That’s not cool! Today, I’m sharing 8 quick, high-impact decluttering projects that will make your life better.
Clutter is Making Your Life Worse
Clutter is only stuff, right? That might be true, but clutter can have a significant impact on your well-being.
Research shows that clutter can make you feel unwell, affect your relationships with others, and make you feel uncomfortable in your own home. Your stuff shouldn’t get in the way of your relationships, your health, or your overall sense of well-being, am I right?
Declutter key areas for quick wins
If clutter is stressing you out, here’s a little secret. Decluttering areas of your home that you use the most is going to have the biggest positive impact on your life.
There are little pockets of your home that you use frequently. They tend to attract lots of clutter, as a result. That clutter causes you to waste time, stresses you out, and keeps your house from feeling like a home. The good news is, those areas are usually fairly quick to declutter – you can probably do them in about 5 minutes each!
8 High-Impact Decluttering Projects You Can Do in 5 Minutes
Here are 8 quick decluttering projects that will make your everyday life better.
Hair Care and Skincare Products
Do you have a ton of half-used, dusty old hair products? Upside-down skincare bottles that are almost empty, and that you haven’t touched in months? Empty shampoo or body wash bottles in your shower?
That stuff is slowing you down in the morning, stressing you out, and adding a layer of “frantic” to your mood. Take a few minutes to declutter your hair care and skincare products. Your morning routine will be more streamlined as a result. You will also be able to find the products you DO use more easily.
Purse/Laptop Bag/Backpack
While it’s not technically part of your home, decluttering your purse, backpack, or whatever you use to carry your stuff can make your days better.
Bags tend to accumulate an array of clutter that weigh them down and make it difficult to find what you need, causing wasted time and increased stress. Go through your purse or other bag and get rid of anything you don’t currently use or need when you’re away from home.
Cleaning Products
Surprised to see this one on the list? A messy jumble of half-used cleaning products under your sink or in your linen closet takes up space, and can prevent you from cleaning. You might get decision fatigue from trying to decide what’s still useable and what needs to go, and decide to skip cleaning altogether. Take a few minutes to declutter your cleaning supplies, so you are left with products you will use that are still good.
If you need to re-stock your cleaning supplies, check out my post on the best products to put in your cleaning caddy.
Coat Closet/Mudroom/Landing Zone
The main entry/exit point of your home can get cluttered quickly. As a result, you might have trouble finding the things you need on the way out the door. You might also feel an instant pang of stress when you arrive home, due to the clutter and mess.
Quickly clear your coat closet, mudroom, or other entryway landing zone of personal belongings that don’t need to be there (extra shoes, out-of-season accessories, etc). Your landing zone will be more streamlined as a result, helping you get out the door quicker, and welcoming you into a tidy space when you arrive back home.
If you’re interested in a deeper declutter, check out my post on how to declutter your entryway.
Kitchen Counters
Oh, the kitchen counters. They become the impromptu home for a menagerie of stuff that belongs elsewhere. Messy, cluttered kitchen counters can make it difficult to prepare meals, and even cause embarrassment.
Spend a little time clearing off your kitchen counters. Even if you don’t have time to sort or file mail and other papers, get rid of the trash, and get other papers into stacks to sort through later. Next, put away items that have homes. You’ll instantly feel more peace and less stress, and you’ll be able to use your counters again!
Refrigerator or Freezer
A refrigerator or freezer full of old, half-used or freezer-burned food is gross. You also can’t really tell what edible food you have on hand. As a result, grocery shopping and preparing meals is more stressful. You might even be wasting money buying duplicates of items you already have, that are hidden behind clutter.
Grab a trash bag and declutter your refrigerator or freezer of old leftovers, expired condiments, freezer-burned items, and anything else you or your family won’t eat. If you have time, rinse out bottles and recycle them.
A quick tip – try cleaning out your fridge or freezer the evening before your trash pickup, so the old food doesn’t sit in your trash can for days. I do this every week on the evening before trash day, and it keeps me refrigerator clean and decluttered.
Nightstand/Bedside Table
A cluttered, messy nightstand can stress you out before you go to sleep and when you wake up. Reduce stress in your twilight and waking hours by decluttering your nightstand or bedside table.
Get rid of extra books, electronics you no longer use, random papers, trash, and any other clutter that’s living on the surface shelves, or in the drawers of your nightstand. Keep only essentials on your nightstand, so you have what you need just before bed, and you wake up to a tidy, decluttered space.
Check out my full post on how to declutter and organize your nightstand for extra tips and ideas.
Food Storage Containers
Tired of searching for a lid that matches the container for your lunch or leftovers? It’s time to declutter and sort those containers.
Take a few minutes to sort through your food storage containers. Get rid of anything that doesn’t have a matching lid, or vice versa. Group like containers and lids together, so you’ll save time when looking for a container for your food.
If you have a lot of mismatched containers, you might want to invest in a set of matching containers, so the lids are interchangeable. You don’t have to buy expensive containers, but using matching ones will save time and stress.
8 Quick Decluttering Projects That Will Make Your Life Easier: Conclusion
A little decluttering goes a long way. You can make your life easier by spending a few minutes decluttering key areas of your home. You’ll save time and frustration looking for the things you need, accomplish tasks more quickly and efficiently, and feel better when you’re at home. Here’s a recap of 8 quick decluttering projects that can improve your life:
- Skincare/hair care products
- Purse/laptop bag/backpack
- Cleaning products
- Coat closet/mudroom/landing zone
- Kitchen counters
- Refrigerator or freezer
- Nightstand
- Food storage containers
Want even more helpful cleaning and organizing tips for working women? Join the ShowMe Suburban community and learn simple habits and routines to keep your home clean and organized, so you can relax away from work without feeling the stress of a messy home. Sign up below!