15 Minute Organizing Tasks

OK, I've posted 10 minute tasks in the past.
Let's say you have a bit more time.....

One challenge to getting organized is finding the time to do so. We all live busy, fast paced lives. Finding a free moment is difficult. I found this list of tasks you can complete in 15 minutes or less. Pick a task. Set your timer. And GO!

1. Clear the contents of one drawer in your kitchen, while dinner is cooking. We all have at least one junk drawer. Remove all of the contents of the drawer and sort into categories. Everything that does not belong in the kitchen can go into a box or basket to be put in its proper place. Toss the extras of things like twist ties. Keep only one sheet of them and toss the rest, after all, we get more every time we open a box of trash bags. You are ready to load the `kitchen only' items back into the drawer.

2. Take those kitchen junk drawer items to their proper home. Remember that basket or box of goodies that you pulled out of the kitchen junk drawer the day before? In less than fifteen minutes, you can have those items back in the areas where they belong. Chances are there really aren't that many items to go back into the right area. Taking that fifteen minutes to put these items where they belong eliminates another pile to be dealt with later.

3. Sort through that pile of mail. We all find that the mail gets away from us occasionally. It usually doesn't take much for that to happen, when your time is so filled up with activities and life. Start by tossing all of the ads and catalogs into the recycle bin. Take all of those credit card offers straight to the shredder. Now you can separate the remaining mail into categories such as bills, correspondence, charitable organization requests and so forth.

4. Return those runaway DVD's to their home. We all sometimes have a lapse when it comes to putting DVD's away. It may seem ever so much easier to leave them on the shelf above or below the player even when we change out the selection.

5. Fold a load of laundry. You started a load of wash before heading out the door to work. When you get home from work, put the clean load of wash into the dryer. After dinner, when you sit to watch your favorite TV show you will be able to fold that load of clothes that is now dry. You can make great use of the commercial breaks to put that load away--or better yet, into the arms of those who happen to wear those clothes. Each owner of a pile can be responsible to put their clean clothes away.

6. Dust a room. Sometimes you put off dusting because you think it will take too long (I put it off because I hate dusting). However, in less than fifteen minutes you can get an entire room dusted. With a feather duster or one of the disposable products, it won't take long at all to go over the surfaces. Work from top to bottom and go clockwise around the room.
... I still hate dusting

7. Hang up those clothes that mistook the chair for a clothes hanger. You know how flat surfaces can be so convenient to drop things on, 'just for now'. Once one item is there, it doesn't take long for the surface to disappear completely under the pile of clothes. Take the time to sort through these clothes. Make a pile for things that need to be taken to the cleaners, a pile for things that need repair and the pile to be hung up. Hang up the clothes that need to be hung up, take the pile to be repaired and take the clothes that need to go to the cleaners to your car. While you are out running errands, you can drop off the clothes at the cleaners. Now you have an uncluttered chair to sit and read in.

What did you accomplish in 15 minutes?