The Power of 10

Clutter makes me a bit nuts. My children would probably say more than a bit! But with 10 of us making messes around here (some more than others, and you know who you are), things tend toward disheveled.

Two techniques that help keep me sane on some days are:

Get Rid of 10
One of the "hot spots" for junk accumulation is an area on my kitchen counter. I have a basket where Bryan throws the mail, I keep "in process" things, and the children think it's OK to drop whatever they have in their hands as they walk by. It can get overwhelming, and messy breeds more mess.

In between other activities, I'll tell myself to get rid of 10 items in that area. Just 10. Stop when I reach 10, or it becomes a project. And by get rid of it means throw away, put away or deal with. Not move to another pile.

After a couple sessions, the area looks much neater, and I've only spent a total
of a couple minutes. When the surfaces of my house are tidy, it's much easier to tackle those more hidden areas in...

Work for 10
It's amazing how much I can do in 10 minutes. Organizing projects that I haven't gotten around to for months can often get completed in one or two 10 minute sessions.

I love to set the timer for 10 minutes and see how much I can get done. And by love I mean it's better than scrubbing a toilet.

Great 10 minute projects: the linen closet, the junk drawer, the coupon pile, a child's underwear drawer, tiding up the surfaces in my bedroom, organizing our mud room (shudder).

Go discover what 10 can do in your home!