Yes, really. Ten minutes.

You’re busy. The end of the school year is here. Schedules are changing and filling up quickly. Take some time now to do short, quick projects that will give you a boost as you begin the summer time rush.

Set a Timer

Here we go. Get a timer or use the one on the microwave. Better yet, use the one on your phone if you have one. I know my phone is always in my pocket so if I use that alarm I won’t run the risk of missing the sound of the timer because I become so very engaged in my project.

1. Recycle all magazines over three months old. I know you love them and some of them are truly beautiful but if you haven’t looked at them yet, you’re not going to. Unless they are trade magazines for your business they need to go. And if they are trade magazines they need to be stored appropriately in magazine holders in your office space. So, first the old magazines go.

2. Get a box and collect the paperbacks you have read and will never read again. Any book you bought to read on a plane or at the beach is a good candidate. Next, are there any paperback books you intended to read but never quite got around to? Now’s the time.  Let ‘em go. You heard it right. If you haven’t read it by now, put it in the box to give to a friend or the local library for their annual sale.

3. The next box is for collecting old textbooks. Your memories of old professors and friends won’t go away with the books. I promise. Even if you had the time to go back and look at these books, chances are that much of the information would have been updated by now.

4. Hardcover books. These were expensive. And they make you feel oh-so-smart when you see them sitting on the shelf. Ok. {Deep breath.} Now that we’ve taken a moment to revel in our smarty-pant-ness, it’s time to get real. Are you going to read these books again? Truly. Give them to a friend and you can both enjoy them. Or again, hard covers will fetch a higher price at the library’s annual sale.

5. Other stuff. Photo frames, odds and ends. Things that have been set down on the shelves for “just a minute” and moved in to that space permanently instead. Unless they are part of your decorating scheme they don’t belong here.

By now your ten minutes should certainly be over. Take a look at your new and improved shelves and revel in the extra space you’ve created. Hm, wonder what will go there over the next few months?

A regular ten minute de-cluttering routine will keep you from becoming overwhelmed with the “stuff” of life!