15 Ways to Get Rid of Clutter Fast While Your Coffee’s Brewing!

This post will show you that it is possible to clear clutter fast … even while waiting for your morning coffee to brew [or your dinner rice to cook!].

If you feel overwhelmed with your clutter and don’t know where to start (so you end up putting it off), just do a few things at a time. They’ll add up, I promise!

Clearing clutter [where to start]

I’ll also let you in on a secret:

Decluttering isn’t an exercise in perfection. To be effective, you don’t need $100 designer storage bins or hours of time!

Just start … that’s all there is to it. Pick up a few things and toss them, organize them better so you can find them, or put in a donation box. It really can be that simple.

How do you start decluttering?

You can start decluttering very small areas at a time while you’re doing other simple tasks.

Here’s a trick:

Ever realized how long we actually wait for things? That’s time we can spend doing a few super simple decluttering tasks!

• Waiting on hold with any service or appointment you’re trying to make.
• Waiting for coffee to brew or the tea kettle to heat up.
• Waiting for potatoes, pasta, rice, etc. to cook.
• Waiting for a repair person to arrive once they’ve called to say they’re on the way.
• Waiting for your dog to go pee.
• Waiting for commercials to end (if you’re one of the ten people still watching cable).
• Waiting for the internet to come back on after you’ve reset it.
• Waiting on the — umm — toilet. [Admit it, you’re often on Facebook or shopping on Amazon… why not sort some junk mail?] 😉
• Waiting on the world to change … I digress.

You get the idea. There’s so much waiting time in our lives — even at home, why not declutter 2-3 things in the meantime?

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15 Ways to Clear Clutter Fast While You’re Waiting

1. In the kitchen: open the dreaded junk drawer and throw away as many unused, expired, or broken things as you can in three minutes.
2. In a cabinet: dig behind the things you regularly use, take out 3-4 things you rarely touch, and put them in a donate box in the garage.
3. The coat closet: take any old coat, scarf, jacket, gloves, etc. and put them in the donate box.
4. Spice rack: stop searching behind the 10 spices you never use and throw them out. The time saved is worth it. And you’ll love how an organized shelf looks!
5. The bedroom: pick up 3-4 things from a cluttered dresser, shelf, or even under the bed .. and find them a better home, toss ’em, or donate.
6. Your closet: grab a few pairs of shoes you haven’t worn in a year or more and put them in the donate box. Take a few minutes to look at what’s on your hangers. Anything you never wear? **Earn cash or credit for clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. from thredUP! Use my link to get $10 off your first shopping spree and earn even more from the unused things in your closet… win-win!!
7. Linen closet: do you have fitted or flat sheets that no longer have a mate or have holes? Toss those babies! Or put them in a scrap box for cleaning cloths or school projects.
8. Table or counter surfaces: [this is where the toilet could come in handy] look through a stack of papers, mail, magazines, etc. and sort into important, recycle, or keep. Open that mail and deal with it. Sort bills in a simple bill file, or organize all paper clutter with my favorite over-the-door holder that has awesome pockets … and never have piles on your table again!
9. Living space: recycle newspapers lying around, toss the houseplant you’ve denied killing, put kid stuff in a box and tell them it gets donated if it’s not put away in three minutes … or put it in a cheap (but cute!) canvas basket for claiming after dinner. 😉
10. Laundry room: toss detergent bottles with three drops left in them … or socks that have waited for a match for six months. Anything you can grab and sort, fold, donate, toss, or throw in the wash within 4-5 minutes is a win.
11. Bathroom drawer: open one or two drawers and deal with what’s in there. Four mascaras? Toss the old ones. Half-used travel shampoos you’ll never get to, throw them out. Crusty deodorant sticks, empty chapsticks … toss them all.
12. Bathroom cabinet: toss old bottles of sunscreen (it expires!), hair product you haven’t touched in months, and broken hair accessories. And, for Pete’s sake, put your good styling tools in a nifty cabinet door organizer so you can find them easily!
13. Shower and tub: recycle empty bottles of products… stop saving shampoo bottles with ten drops left unless you’re honestly going to add water and finish it off next time [yes, I do this too!]. Rusty razors … need I say more?
14. Magazines: these can take over the world… find the closest stack and recycle or donate at least 15 that aren’t current.
15. Your car: take a grocery sack and toss all the trash you can grab in five minutes. Also take in everything that belongs in the house.

** Put that load in the dryer if you started one while decluttering the laundry room. I’m famous — notorious — for forgetting to put laundry in the dryer. This has resulted in dozens of rewashed loads … super embarrassing to admit.

How to get rid of clutter fast?

You’ve just learned 15 really easy ways to declutter while you’re waiting for other things! Feels good, right?

Now, keep up that momentum and declutter a few things at a time every chance you get. It all adds up. No need to be perfect or spend hours. One of the hardest parts is to adopt a declutter mindset.

It can be very difficult to throw things away or donate them when we feel guilty about the money spent. But simplifying your space and life is ALWAYS worth it.

If you’re ready to tackle a bigger project, why not learn how to declutter your home and your life in 30 days. A very simple plan anyone can follow!