Chores Made Easy: Declutter 10 Items in 10 Minutes

I'm a bit of an organizational freak, and my husband is very much the opposite. And just so you are aware, Paula, opposites do not attract in this arena. To avoid countless "discussions" about clutter, messes and disorganization, Ken and I play a fun little game around the house. We like to call it "The Ultimate 10" because I have a weird habit of naming chores to make them seem more fun.

Anyway, here's the deal: Together, each person chooses five items to declutter in ten minutes. You tag-team the duties and in ten minutes time, you've made some serious progress in organizing your space! To get started, here are ten easy areas of your home that you can tackle in ten minutes -- with or without a (very unwilling) husband:

1. Sock Drawer
Pitch those mismatched pairs, or better yet, save them for your next cleaning afternoon. A single sock makes a terrific Swiffer replacement pad.

2. Magazines
Collect all magazines from every room of the house (I'm talking to you, bathroom readers!), and place them in a stack to revisit later. Keep what you'd still like to read, toss/recycle what you've already read or create a fun organizational magazine system you can stick to. Easy as pie!


3. Flatware Drawer
Don't lie -- Your silverware drawer is a mess. Rearrange forks, spoons and knives into their proper tray dividers and remind yourself to never let it get that bad again.


4. Shoes
Grab any shoes laying out in every room and replace them into their respective storage devices. My rule? Walk your shoes straight to the bedroom upon entering the house.

5. Computer Desktop
Yes, digital clutter counts. Delete any unused files, create folders for storage and color-code important sub-folders.

6. Receipts
Gather loose receipts and start a folder to organize later. Consider a digital receipt filing system for the future.

7. Prescriptions
Come on, I know you still have that bronchitis antibiotic from when you were 23. Pitch your old prescription bottles, or marry those 9 bottles of Aleve you have on hand.

8. Cables
Collect your hard drive cables, phone jack wires and miscellaneous technology (read: crap) and store them in a designated basket or shoebox.




9. Recipes
Take those Cooking Light tear-sheets and file them into your recipe box for handy use. Be sure to add those Post-Its your grandmother scribbled her famous blackberry pie recipe on...

10. Purse
Ahhh, cleaning the purse. Dump all contents onto a surface and sort through the rest. Only the essential are allowed back inside the purse -- no excuses! I love Good Housekeeping's tips for keeping your purse organized daily.

Now, check your watch. All of that work in just nine minutes? Plenty of time to sip a spritzer with that remaining minute. Enjoy!

Read more:
-Chores Made Easy: Organize Your Photos
-Our Fave Organizer Notebooks
-Green Your Kitchen in 5 Easy Steps