How to Declutter Your Life with this Five Second Game Changer
/Take a moment to look around the room you are in right now. How many things are almost in the spot where they belong?
Such as, that hairspray on the counter sitting right above the cabinet where you keep it. Or the makeup quietly laying just a hand-length away from the drawer you *ideally* store it in. Or the dirty pjs crumpled on the floor right next to the hamper.
Much of our clutter, especially things out on flat surfaces like counters, are the result of not taking the 5 seconds to put them where they belong. It is riding the wave of “I don’t feel like going that extra effort to open the door of the cabinet to put this away so I’ll do it later” mentality.
Which is fine, really, occasionally. But when this happens with 90% of the things you use daily, it quickly adds up to quite a mess. Then, everywhere you look, your eye cannot focus with the chaos of stuff and your mind feels overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning it all up.
Honestly, there are many tasks I do daily that I hate. As a matter of fact, my first impulse is to say, “Nope. Not now. I’ll do it later.” But I know I won’t feel like emptying the dishwasher later, either. It is a boring and tedious task, but it must be done.
So, here’s the game-changing trick. Before I even allow that impulse to take hold, I just start unloading it. And before I know it, it’s done. In effect, I did not allow myself time to think if I wanted to do it or not (because the answer will always be NO).
For sure, unloading the dishwasher does take more than 5 seconds, but there are a multitude of tasks that take less than 5 seconds like walking an extra few steps to hang up your purse or sort through the mail.
Now, let’s dig into the mindset behind the behavior. These tasks, such as unloading the dishwasher or sorting the mail, are tasks you will never feel like doing. In your head, you are practicing what I like to call the “Should I or Shouldn’t I” debate.
-Should I or shouldn’t I hang up my clothes right now?
-Should I or shouldn’t I mow the lawn at this moment?
-Should I or shouldn’t I get the laundry started?
These are tasks you will never enjoy doing so the best way around this mentality is to just do it before the “Should I or Shouldn’t I” mind chatter starts.
In essence, just starting a task because you said you would makes for a lot less drama in your head.
As a result, there are many fewer decisions, right? There will be no “should I or shouldn’t I” fold the laundry now. There will be no chatter and debate in your head because you will just do it without having the usual battle with your two brains. Mindsets can make or break the way you maintain the calm in your home.
If you’re curious to learn more about the four mindsets that lead to clutter, check out my series of mindset blog posts below:
👉PART II: An Item for Every Possible Occasion
👉Part III: The Memento Collector
👉PART IV: Stuffing Full Every Square Inch
Even better, to make longer tasks less painful or dull, pair the chore with some entertainment. By all means, add music, watch a video, listen to a podcast, chat on the phone to a friend, or listen to an audio book.
So, before you leave that coffee cup out on the counter, stop yourself! Remember, this mini-task will take less than 5 seconds, so just DO IT. It doesn’t matter if you are in a hurry because the extra 2 seconds to put it away is not going to make a difference in getting to work.
If it takes less than 5 seconds to accomplish the action—DO IT without the mental chatter.