Hasta La Ideas

Over the winter months, many people experience cabin fever. When you’re stuck inside for a long period of time, it’s likely you’ll get bored and become a little restless as you await warmer temperatures. Now that we’re in the first full week of March, the end of cold weather is in sight! And, with the few remaining weeks of winter, you can get a jump start on your spring cleaning tasks in just a few minutes of time. You don’t have to wait until spring finally arrives, nor do you have to go all out on a major cleaning binge (though you should plan an in-depth cleaning).

Instead, start some spring cleaning chores now and consider segmenting your home into small projects so they are easier to tackle. Doing this will allow you to reasonably start the process without spending all your time uncluttering and cleaning. Because the tasks are smaller and more manageable, you probably won’t need a lot of time to get them done. In fact, just 15 minutes per day can lead to big results.

You might be scratching your head about where to start. One of the easiest ways to select your first micro-project is to look around at your surfaces. Have you noticed that flat surfaces seem to have an open invitation to put things on them? They may start out uncluttered, but then they somehow morph into holders of knick knacks, paper piles, and things that haven’t made it back to their designated storage areas. And, because surfaces are so visible, when they are clutter-free, they can make a room look and feel dramatically improved.

Since you’re using short bursts of activity to clear things up, pick one area or room in your home and decide which surface you will attack first. For example, a master bedroom might have the following surfaces:

• Two nightstands
• One vanity
• One chest of drawers
• One TV stand
• The floor

Before you set your timer, think about how long you might need to completely finish one surface. Could you do it all in one 15-minute time block? Or, would you need to schedule two or three micro-blocks? Using the above example, if you scheduled one 15-minute cleaning session per day for each surface, each one could be uncluttered and cleaned within 6 days. If you worked on two surfaces per day (30 minutes/day), the entire list could be done in 3 days. Keep in mind that the floor is also a surface, and depending on the type and number of items you need to sort through before you start vacuuming or sweeping, the floor may require multiple microbursts of activity before it’s completely uncluttered and clean. That said, begin working on the surfaces in your most used spaces. Since you tend to be in those rooms often, you’ll have ample opportunities to work on clearing them.

As you go through this process, remember to check hidden spaces, like your attic. Even in rooms that you use often, you’ll still have spots that are not very visible. These include drawers, under beds and sofa cushions, inside closets (don’t forget the top shelf), cabinets (have you looked in the ones above your refrigerator or stove lately?), closed containers, storage ottomans/benches, and even inside your refrigerator. Of course, spring cleaning isn’t just limited to the spaces throughout your home. Other areas of focus include your garage, shed, barn or other outdoor structures, gutters, your car and trunk, and even the storage cabinets under your grill. As mentioned before, first estimate how long an area will likely take to complete and then schedule your 15-minute time blocks accordingly. Whenever possible, get help from other members of your household. Two or more people working together on microtasks would certainly get each area finished a lot faster.

To keep track of all the spaces you need to unclutter and thoroughly clean, check out the Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home.

Need help getting organized? Buy the DRM-free audiobook version of Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week today for only $8.99.