Are you struggling to organize your home? It's time to take baby steps and try a challenge. This challenge is designed for a 15-minute task to be completed each day to help you jump-start your decluttering and organizing process. I created this 31-day, 15-minute organizing list and tips on how to organize these areas. This list is ideal for the busy person who doesn't have much time to manage their home but whose goal is to get organized and simplify this year. It is perfect for moms, students, single moms or dads, grandparents, and anyone who needs to get their clutter under control. If that is you, read on and share with others so you stay accountable to the challenge.
Jump to:
- Stuff, you will need to do this declutter challenge.
- Thirty-one 15-minute organizing Challenge Tasks
- DAY 1: Gather unused organizing items and place them in one location for future organizing projects.
- DAY 2: DS/Wii/Xbox/PlayStation games
- DAY 3: Pencils and pens drawer in the kid's room
- DAY 4: Vanity makeup drawer
- DAY 5: First aid kit bin
- DAY 6: Music (digital or physical) sorted
- DAY 7: Supplies for home office
- DAY 8: Utensil drawer
- DAY 9: Bin that holds all your extra cables
- DAY 10: Under the bathroom sink
- DAY 11: School supplies
- DAY 12: Car divider/conceal
- DAY 13: Junk drawer
- DAY 14: Hang picture frames to remove clutter from the floor.
- DAY 15: Bathroom vanity drawer
- DAY 16: Reference Books organizing
- DAY 17: Nonfiction/Fiction book organizing
- DAY 18: Paper supplies and recycling any paper that you are not being used.
- DAY 19: Kids books organizing
- DAY 20: Garage donating items
- DAY 21: Organize a bin that has random items in it.
- DAY 22: Photos Organizing
- DAY 23: Scrapbook/Craft area
- DAY 24: Manufacturer manuals organizing
- DAY 25: Workspace
- DAY 26: Receipt box organizer
- DAY 27: Bill Organizer
- DAY 28: Investment organizer
- DAY 29: Bedroom nightstand
- DAY 30: Linen closet organizing
- DAY 31: Pantry organizing
Stuff, you will need to do this declutter challenge.
You will need only a few things to declutter while doing this challenge.
- Recycling bin (Affiliate Link) or Paper bag
- Trash bags (Affiliate Link) (kitchen size)
- The marker (permanent) you will use to write where to donate the bag of stuff.
That is it! Now, do each of these steps for only 15 minutes each day, and you will see a transformation by the end of the month!
Thirty-one 15-minute organizing Challenge Tasks
By going through this list each day, you will be well on your way to getting organized. Also, check out the links from other posts I wrote on a particular topic.
DAY 1: Gather unused organizing items and place them in one location for future organizing projects.
These items will give you a wonderful collection to choose from when you start organizing each day.
DAY 2: DS/Wii/Xbox/PlayStation games
Donate any unwanted /unused games. Get a bin to sort them.
DAY 3: Pencils and pens drawer in the kid's room
Sort them into bins for them to access quickly.
DAY 4: Vanity makeup drawer
DAY 5: First aid kit bin
Put all supplies together in one container.
HOW TO MAKE A DIY FIRST AID KIT FOR THE HOME
DAY 6: Music (digital or physical) sorted
Purge any you don't want. If you have a little more time, you can try this.
DAY 7: Supplies for home office
Go through and organize things like paperclips, staples, post-its, printer (Affiliate Link) cartridges, etc…
15 THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS-FREE HOME OFFICE
DAY 8: Utensil drawer
Sort your drawer by typing in an organized bin.
DAY 9: Bin that holds all your extra cables
Group cables together and store them in a closed container.
DAY 10: Under the bathroom sink
Here is a post that shows what should be under the sink.
DAY 11: School supplies
Sort out your pencils, pens, colored pencils, etc…
SCHOOL SUPPLY ORGANIZER FOR HOMEMADE EASY
DAY 12: Car divider/conceal
Clean out any trash you don't use.
24 USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR FAMILY'S ORGANIZED CAR
DAY 13: Junk drawer
Throw away trash and group items and get bins to organize things. Check out what should be in a junk drawer post.
DAY 14: Hang picture frames to remove clutter from the floor.
HOW TO MAKE A FABULOUS PHOTO WALL COLLAGE
DAY 15: Bathroom vanity drawer
Visit these posts for tips and ideas.
WHAT TO KEEP IN A BATHROOM VANITY
DAY 16: Reference Books organizing
Remove phone books, catalogs, and other dating books that are not used.
Are you hanging in there? You can do it! These 15-minute organizing tasks are pretty easy!
DAY 17: Nonfiction/Fiction book organizing
Pull out your nonfiction/fiction books you haven't looked at in over two years.
DAY 18: Paper supplies and recycling any paper that you are not being used.
If you have a craft area that needs decluttering, this is the day to review them.
DAY 19: Kids books organizing
Have the kids sit with you and go through their books to donate to children in need. It can be reading books, textbooks, or coloring books that can be donated.
DAY 20: Garage donating items
Do you store your soon-to-be donated items in your garage (Affiliate Link)? Today is the day to get rid of items in your garage (Affiliate Link).
DAY 21: Organize a bin that has random items in it.
Items thrown in a bin and needing to be cleared out were never gotten to. This bin can be located anywhere in your home.
DAY 22: Photos Organizing
Now, let's look at your digital or physical photos. Remove blurry and unwanted images.
DAY 23: Scrapbook/Craft area
It's time to go through all the excess crafts and clear out the unwanted scraps, dried-out items, and broken items.
DAY 24: Manufacturer manuals organizing
Now, it is time to organize your manuals. Gather your manuals in an accordion folder (Affiliate Link) arranged A-Z, and label (Affiliate Link) them by manufacturer name.
EASY WAYS TO ORGANIZE MANUALS AND WARRANTIES
DAY 25: Workspace
The next section focuses on your workspace, either your home office or physical office. Go through your desk drawers.
DAY 26: Receipt box organizer
Now, you will create a way to organize receipts. Use an accordion folder (Affiliate Link) to sort the receipts you want to keep. Visit our digital receipts organizer free ebook to help you!
DAY 27: Bill Organizer
Today, you will be setting up a bill organizer. Make a list of bills and due dates while doing bills.
WHAT TO KEEP IN YOUR BILL PAYING STATION
DAY 28: Investment organizer
Make a list of investment names, contacts, and amounts in each account.
HOW TO ORGANIZE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS IN A FIREPROOF SAFE
DAY 29: Bedroom nightstand
Next is the bedroom nightstand (Affiliate Link). Divide little items into bins so you can reach them in the dark.
BEDROOM NIGHTSTAND ORGANIZING ESSENTIALS
12 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BEDROOM AN OASIS
MAKING A BEDROOM OASIS CHALLENGE
ORGANIZING A TEEN'S NIGHTSTAND
DAY 30: Linen closet organizing
Group-like items, here are tips from a post I wrote.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT STORE BED LINENS IN A BATHROOM CLOSET
NARROW LINEN CLOSET STORAGE OPTIONS MADE EASY
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN YOUR LINEN CLOSET
DAY 31: Pantry organizing
For a group of like items, add bins for smaller items. These are tips to help you keep in your pantry.
Here is an image you print and use to get you started.
I hope this 15-minute organizing challenge helps you get and stay organized. Good luck with this process. Leave a message on how it is going. We would love to hear from you.
Visit our other organizing challenge to motivate you to get organized!
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Beth Niebuhr says
I can't possibly do more than 2 of them in 15 minutes but it is a nice job of sorting the jobs. Maybe I can do them in a week of 15 minute segments for each job!
Sabrina says
That is a great idea! It will take you longer, of course, but at least, the list will help keep you focused on what you need to do for that weeek.
William Rusho says
If you saw my house, you would know, I appreciate anything that helps me get organized. Thanks for sharing.
Pamela Chollet says
Sabrina this is a great list! But, I'm so disorganized the only task on your list wold take me 15 minutes is sorting the cutlery, and that's pushing it. I'm personalizing the list to read, "Pamela's's 2 hour a day organizing tips."
Sabrina says
Sorry to hear that. Try using the list as a suggestion on what area to organize. Make it a goal to organize one area once a week. It will take longer but it will eventually be finished. Doing some organizing will help you feel less overwhelmed.
Catarina says
Have for as long as I can remember written to do lists. They work very well for me. About this particular list you made thought, I don't need to do any of those things because all those areas are organised.:-)
Sabrina says
Great job for keeping on top of your areas! Remember: Organized areas need to be reviewed and systems need to be refined when there is a change in your life so they stay organized and not fall into disarray.
Tim says
The photo organizing; wow that's a big one. For me that took many months hard labor. But I do agree that breaking a big chore down is the best approach.
Eve Koivula says
When it comes to a home, I've found that if I keep 2 places somewhat organized, it actually encourages me to fix the rest. Those are bathroom, which is the first thing I see in the morning, and kitchen, which is the second. Best part: Those only take 5 minutes each.
When it comes to my work, I wish I had something similar going on.... just today I spent hours cleaning up my computer before it completely jams... That's something I should spend the 15 min/day I guess. Could you make a checklist for that, too?
Sabrina says
I total agree if you have two areas organized in your home, it makes you more likely to get the other areas organized as well.
Regarding your other issue with work, I created this Clearing Digital Clutter checklist that worked for me. Here is the post link: https://sabrinasorganizing.com/clearing-digital-clutter/ It helps me stay focused on what I completed when declutter in my computer files and what I still need to do. I hope it helps.
Thanks for stopping by.
Ken Dowell says
I'm sad to say that in my house 15 minutes would not even scratch the surface of some of these things. Probably take me a day or two just to sort out my fiction/nonfiction books.
Sabrina says
Sorry to hear that. 15 minutes organizing will help anyone, it just may take longer to finish. Tip:Take 15 minutes per day until that that task is completed. Even if you stay on that task for a few days or even a week, it will at least be completed when you are done. Always finish one task before starting the next one.
Kire Sdyor says
Sabrina, thank you for helping those who do not have dividers in their silverware drawer. As someone with more than mild OCD I began to twitch thinking that people have old phone books. Thanks.
Donna Janke says
Great way to break down organization tasks into small chunks and do a little bit each day.
Jacqueline Gum says
I'm a very organized person...but this is a great list an the idea of 15 minutes a day is fantastic! I'm passing this on to some friends who really need it:)
Sabrina says
Thanks Jacqueline, I really appreciate it.
Lenie says
Sabrina - this is a great list. I especially like the 15 minutes a day plan. I'm pretty organized but I did bookmark this page and later I'll use it to check out my under the sink cupboard and some of my other closets.
Phoenicia says
My - you are organised.
Great tips!
I take it you follow all of these through.
Laurie Hurley says
Those are all pretty basic organizing tips. Nice list. May I suggest perhaps some photos to split them up and make the post a bit more visual? You have some good ideas but scrolling through a long list without any breaks can be a bit tedious. Thanks for sharing!
Sabrina says
Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of adding photos but I thought it would be too long and visitors would lose interest traveling to the end.