One of my household mantras is “an organized life requires maintenance.” I’ve found that taking a few minutes here and there to straighten a previously organized space goes a long way to keeping things organized. (This is actually the fourth principle of home organization that I shared over on MattandShari.com)
I noticed over the weekend that the drawer holding my kitchen linens (dish towels, dish cloths, aprons) had gotten a little messy. I set my phone timer for 5 minutes and tackled the drawer. I refolded all the linens and removed a few things that didn’t belong there. I was done with more than a minute to spare!
I found a cloth napkin that belongs in a basket with the other napkins, and I decided to put the cookie cutters in a ziploc bag and store them in a different cupboard.
What area of your home needs a 5 minute transformation? Of course I don’t recommend this method for crazy messy places like your junk drawer. If you’ve recently organized a space, take 5 minutes to straighten it back to order. It will keep things from getting out of hand!
Come Home For Comfort 
Smart!! Nothing more discouraging than finding your well-organized spot has gotten out of control! A quick 5 minutes would keep me from being broken hearted months later.
Katie @ Cup of Tea
Yep! 5 minutes now is better than 2 hours later.
My dish towel drawer definitely needs a 5-10 minute overhaul. There are just dish towels in it, but I should purge my collection so the drawer closes with ease. I am also planning on doing a quick transformation on my make up bag, silver ware drawer and magazine basket. I’ve got good good systems in place, but am guilty of not maintaining them.
Great idea! I have a small cabinet from Target in my bathroom, with decorative baskets on it. The baskets hold washcloths, pretty soaps, etc. These baskets need a little help! 🙂
Go for it! I bet 5 minutes would get them back in shape! 🙂
I try to do this as well Whitney. Last week I noticed my closet had gotten out of hand a bit. It only took me ten minutes to straighten and organize. You are right, you must stay on top of it!!
It makes a difference, doesn’t it? Thanks for sharing!