Have you found yourself overwhelmed at the thought of tackling that huge organizing task? Does it feel like you are defeated before you even begin because the task is too big? We can all be caught in that trap of thinking we have to do it all at once. When that happens, we get overwhelmed and do not even start.

Would you believe that in fifteen minutes or less, you can take steps to be more organized? This can be done as you find the time, and there is nothing to buy, no limited time offer. Everything you need is at your fingertips!

In fifteen minutes or less, you can:

1. Clear the contents of one drawer in your kitchen, while dinner is cooking. We all have at least one junk drawer. Remove all of the contents of the drawer and sort into categories. Everything that does not belong in the kitchen can go into a box or basket to be put in its proper place. Toss the extras of things like twist ties. Keep only one sheet of them and toss the rest, after all, we get more every time we open a box of trash bags. You are ready to load the `kitchen only' items back into the drawer. Viola, you have organized a spot in your home, in less than fifteen minutes.

2. Take those kitchen junk drawer items to their proper home. Remember that basket or box of goodies that we pulled out of the kitchen junk drawer? In less than fifteen minutes, you can have those items back in the areas where they belong. Chances are there really aren't that many items to go back into the right area. Taking that fifteen minutes to put these items where they belong eliminates another pile to be dealt with later.

3. Sort through that pile of mail. We all find that the mail gets away from us occasionally. It usually doesn't take much for that to happen, when our time is so filled up with activities and life in general. Start by tossing all of the ads and catalogs into the recycle bin. Take all of those `you can't be turned down' credit card offers straight to the shredder. It's important to protect your identity! This should eliminate three fourths of the pile. Now you can separate the remaining mail into categories such as bills, correspondence, charitable organization requests and so forth. You can eliminate even further if you only keep the requests from charitable organizations that you regularly support.

4. Return those runaway DVD's to their home. Don't we all sometimes have a lapse when it comes to putting those DVD's away, especially when we have a player that holds multiple DVD's? It may seem ever so much easier to leave them on the shelf above or below the player even when we change out the selection. In less than fifteen minutes, you can have all of those runaways back `home' where they belong.


5. Fold a load of laundry. Let's suppose we started a load of wash before heading out the door to work. When you get home from work, put the clean load of wash into the dryer. After dinner, when you sit to watch your favorite `Idol' you will be able to fold that load of clothes that is now dry. You can make great use of the commercial breaks to put that load away--or at least into the hands of a stray child or two, who happens to wear those clothes. Each owner of a pile can be responsible to put their clean clothes away.

6. Dust a room. We sometimes put off dusting because we think it will take too long. However, in less than fifteen minutes you can get an entire room dusted. With a feather duster or one of the many disposable products on the market, it won't take long at all to go over the surfaces. Work from top to bottom and go clockwise or even counter- clockwise around the room, dusting every surface that collects dust.

7. Give that bathroom a sparkle and a shine. Sometimes it can seem like a thankless task to clean that bathroom. If you take less than 15 minutes daily, you will have a bathroom that stays cleaner and gives you more time to do fun things with your family. When you have finished all of your morning routine to get ready to face the day, you can spend just a few more minutes to leave a fresh smelling bathroom behind. First step is to rinse the tub, shower and surround. If you are fortunate and have a hand held showerhead, you can use that to rinse the tub down. Then spray with a shower spray. Then, with a disposable wipe-- either homemade or bought at the store--and wipe down the counter, sink, faucet, the edge of the tub, and the toilet. Once you have finished the wipe down, you are ready to go out the door, in less than 15 minutes.

8. Hang up those clothes that mistook the treadmill for a clothes hanger. Okay, so maybe it isn't quite that bad, but you know how flat surfaces can be so convenient to drop things on, `just for now'. Once one item is there, it doesn't take long for the surface to disappear completely under the pile of clothes. Take the time to sort through these clothes. Make a pile for things that need to be taken to the cleaners, a pile for things that need repair and finally, the pile to be hung up. The final few steps are easier now. Hang up the clothes that need to be hung up, take the pile to be repaired to your favorite sewing spot and take the clothes that need to go to the cleaners to a spot where you can grab them on your way out the door. While you are out running errands, you can drop off the clothes at the cleaners. Now you have a serene and uncluttered chair to sit and read in, or a treadmill you can use, or a clear space on which to put a vase of flowers.

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by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak and E-zine, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site.