I have heard this countless times…I don’t have time to organize. And I totally get that! Finding the time to organize can be tricky, especially if you have kids, a job, or a life!! So I am breaking down my tricks for how to find time to organize.

How To Find Time To Organize

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Set Yourself Up For Success

The best way to find time is to be prepared. To do that, I always suggest having a donation bin handy. Maybe think of a spot where you can keep it so when you are cleaning up, you can drop those donation items directly into the donation box daily! We have a donation box stored in our garage. So when we clean up at the end of the night, we can just dump items that the kids (or myself) don’t want into that box.

Another thing you can do is create a declutter caddie. Inside the caddie, keep bags, cleaning supplies, and anything else you may need to declutter. Keep that caddie near your donation box or cleaning supplies. Then, when you find yourself in the mood to declutter, all you have to do is grab your caddie instead of wasting time getting supplies.

Use Timers To Organize

Another tip for how to find time to organize is to use timers and stick to them! I suggest starting with 5 minutes to do a quick tidy. Then add another 5 minutes, making it 10 minutes the next time you declutter. Build up time as you go so you can get use to decluttering for longer amounts of time.

I use the timer on my phone. But I do love an app called Multi-Timer. This app allows you to set different timers for different things. You can set a 5 minute declutter timer using this app and then declutter daily. Another app that works well is called Streaks. You can set up goals and try to meet those goals by checking in to create a streak. It is fun if you need extra motivation to start.

You may also prefer using a visual timer. These are timers that you can set and see how much time is left. They are great for individuals with ADHD, kids, or just a visual person who prefers not to have the phone on you while decluttering!

Some of my favorite visual timers:

Make It Priority

Yes, this is an obvious one. But it still needs to be said…make organizing a priority if it is bothering you enough to be reading this article. To make organizing and decluttering a priority, I suggest getting really clear on what an organized home means to you. Then when you have that definition, you can figure out what needs to be done to create that vision. Then do it. Seriously. Add it to your to do list. Create a time and date that you will actually do that project. Then…

Stick To The Plan

STICK TO THAT PLAN!!! Seriously, do not push it off. You are making this a priority so you should stick to the plan you set out to accomplish. This is going to be some tough love here. But if you don’t stick to the plan, then you don’t get to complain that your home is a mess. 

Now maybe your plan is to do 5 minute declutter a day. THAT IS A GREAT PLAN!!! You don’t need a giant weekend-filled session of decluttering to feel like you organized. You just need to start small and work your way up. Maybe you have 10 minutes before bedtime, so you do a quick scan of a drawer and remove things you don’t use like the potato masher. Then you put those unused items in your donate box. Now you can open that drawer without the potato masher blocking the opening. And now you just decluttered a drawer! You stuck with the plan, and should be celebrating!!

You just need to find small pockets of time that work for you. 

End Of Night Clean Up

Now this tip is probably my favorite for finding time to organize. Every night do an end of night clean up. This means that you clean up your entire home before bed. The kids can help. If they are too young, do it after they go to bed. This is easy things like putting pillow back on the couch. And putting toys away so you don’t step on them in the morning.

But as you are tidying up, you can quickly do a scan of things that are out that my not need to be out…or even better, things that don’t need to be in your home at all. Let’s say you are cleaning up your kitchen and find papers from last year. You can quickly recycle those papers as they are no longer relevant to things right now. Then you find a broken toy car in the living room as you are putting pillows on the couch. That car can be thrown away. As you are walking to the kitchen garbage can you realize that there are shreds of paper in the dining room from the kids art projects. So you grab the garbage can and swipe all that art mess into the trash. And you just cleaned up a bunch of little things, which gives you more time in the long run because you no longer have to worry about spending an entire day decluttering. You are doing it every night. 

Read more end of night clean up tips here:

How To Do An End-Of-Night Clean-Up

8 Tricks For Getting Your Kids To Clean Up

How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up Without Yelling

So what are you waiting for? You have the time to declutter and organize, you just need to stop thinking big. And start thinking small!