Can a 7 minute sort out really make a difference?

Clutter is something in life that seems endless. Just after you think you have sorted one area, it quickly becomes messy again and you can easily find yourself back at square one. Alongside endless laundry and dirty dishes, clutter can easily make you feel stressed and overwhelmed.

So try the 7 minute a day sort out instead.

7 Minutes a day is not a lot of time but equally it is just enough to tackle one shelf or one drawer or a desk surface. 7 minutes a day is enough to see change in your environment, feel an emotional change in yourself and have a sense of achievement too. The great thing about decluttering and organising is that you get visible results. Always remember to take a photo of what your space looked like before and after so you can look back and congratulate yourself for making a start and an improvement to your physical surroundings.

It is hard for me to put into words how I feel knowing that every item has a home after it has been organised. Maybe I feel uplifted and happy in the knowledge that it has been put away, confident that I don't have to waste time trying to find it next time. This idea that 'every item needs a home' is very important and I will talk about it in my next post. Word of warning though - decluttering and organising is addictive. The more you do it, the better you feel. But back to my 7 minute a day sort out...

So where can I find 7 minutes when I don't even have enough time to think?

One place to start is to check the digital wellbeing setting on your phone. I'm sure that I'm not alone in being surprised at how much I use my phone and how much time is wasted with endless scrolling - yes Pinterest is addictive too.. but with some intentional actions when you do have 7 minutes, instead of reaching for the phone to search the internet, quickly reach it for the timer, turn the timer on for 7 minutes and start.

7 minutes a day is not a lot of time but equally it is just enough to tackle one shelf or one drawer or a desk surface. Another way is to sort a bathroom shelf when the kids are in the bath, or even take a look at the bath toys - see which ones would actually make your kids need a second bath after playing with them. Think black mould and slime. These have no place in a home.

Another way is while you wait for your cup of tea to cool down a bit, you could tackle a kitchen shelf. If you find a time that is consistent to you, then it will quickly become a habit. Creating small achievable daily tasks gives you a much better chance of it becoming a success.

Here are some 7 minute sort out areas you can tackle over the coming months:

• A drawer

• A shelf

• A section of your wardrobe

• Post pile

• Kitchen sideboard

• Bathroom sink area

• Bedside table

• On top of the dressing table

• A box of craft supplies

• A bookshelf section

• Makeup case

• Medicine cabinet

• Hair accessories

• Stationary

• Junk drawer

• Colouring books

• Pencil case

• Magazines

• Cookbooks

• Coffee table

• Toybox

• Toolbox

• Kitchen utensils

• Shoes

• Hats

• Cleaning supplies

So think about what time would work for you. Just 7 minutes a day and make a start. And getting back to the question directly - Can a 7 minute sort out really make a difference? Well YES. A big YES!