I’m enjoying the motivation to see what I can do in five little ol’ minutes.
I recently tackled my dining room table.
My dining room dumping ground.
Which could have so so much worse.
This is often the spot I tackle while the family is doing a five minute pickup. It seems to be the spot with the most decisions to make, as opposed to simple pick-it-up-and-take-it-where-it-goes stuff we find throughout the rest of the house.
I took my before photo:
I set my timer and got to work.
Most of the stuff on the table had come out of packages I’d opened but not actually dealt with yet. An order from ThredUp (<–referral link) and an order from Grove Collaborative.
I even tried on the boot I hadn’t tried on when the order first came, and then took that boot to hang out with its mate in my closet (where I’d already taken the mate a few days before . . . ).
Trash was thrown away, and each individual item was taken to its home.
Did you catch that?? Each (like every single) item (no matter how urgent) was taken (all the way there) to its home (its established where-would-I-look-for-it-first spot). In five minutes.
I had to clear this table. But in the interest of using this Five Minute Friday mental game I’ve been playing to help me embrace reality, I wanted to see how much I could get done, like, truly and totally finish, in five minutes.
After five minutes, it looked like this:
And then I looked at the picture and saw the jacket. So I moved that, the last bottle of handsoap, my phone, and the packet of papers I realized we didn’t need to keep and it looked like this:
In five minutes plus a few seconds. Really.
Go me!!
I’d love to hear about your five minute Friday tasks, or if you share pictures on social media, tag me @aslobcomesclean and use the hashtag #5minuteFriday so I can see it!!
--Nony
I cleaned my desk at work! Maybe that’s why I was productive today?
Well done, Nony! Great job in a five minutes time!
Very nice! I need to start adding five minutes for tackling some areas – a few times a day. Places like my desk would benefit greatly. 😀
And you probably thought 5 minutes would just make a dent in the project, not finish it up! I used to hate emptying my dishwasher of clean dishes. I.thought it took FOREVER. I timed myself and it was only three minutes. And I put everything completely away- even a platter that lives on a high shelf.
I totally need to do this! My dining room table is the dumping ground as well. Right now it houses leftover Christmas decorations and craft stuff that hasn’t found a home yet. Today is Valentine’s Day, and I’d really like to eat at the table (instead of on the couch). Thanks for the motivation!
I believe your dining room table and chairs are just like my in-laws, although their set is darker. You did a great job clearing off your table. It’s amazing what a few minutes can accomplish. I have embraced your “awkward pause” concept, especially when working in the kitchen. I used to just stand around and wait for water to begin boiling or for meat to brown, but now I wash a few dishes or refresh the pets’ water bowls in those moments. Being productive also boosts my mood!
I always struggle with some stuff I don’t know where to put or what to do with! For example, all the things I need to plant some cat grass for my cat and rabbits – but never find the time to do it. Or things that I need to repair, and the beads I’m supposed to make a garland with, and the framed pictures I am supposed to hang on the wall when I’ll finally decide where to put them. All those things that need a big decision or time to do…
I love this post and all the comments. Thank you, Dana and commenters. I have a “thing” for tables. I don’t know if it is because they are horizontal surfaces and wouldn’t a clutterer aka slob need horizontal surfaces? This post really motivated me to work on one of my tables to start understanding that I need to get paper under control because I cannot declutter paper in 5 minutes.