Something that’s been working really well for me this week has been setting the oven timer for 20 minutes and making myself do unpleasant tasks. I did this yesterday morning. I had papers strewn over all my tables and counters. The other day, I did a good job of getting rid of papers, but I hadn’t organized them.
I have that awesome portable file folder that I’m keeping as my go-to for papers. I set my timer for 20 minutes and motored on organizing them into piles. Then, I set it for another 20 minutes and another. For 60 minutes exactly, I worked on this task, and I finished it!
This is huge for me. I am a piller-upper, not an organizer. I also flit from one task to another. But tricking myself into only having to work on it for 20 minutes worked really well for me.
I still have some papers to go through that I filled in my organizer because I knew I reached my limit. Still, all the papers in my dining room are corralled now.
A body in motion
You’ve heard the saying: A body in motion stays in motion. My problem isn’t getting or staying in motion, it’s focusing on finishing what I start and prioritizing the things that are important. I have things I have procrastinated on for months.
So this timer is going to be a useful tool for me to “just spend 20 minutes” working on the unpleasant task.
Still have a long way to go
I have mounds of papers in my bedroom that I need to deal with but as far as my day-to-day living space goes, this is so much better.
Being disorganized has cost me. It costs me mentally because I see all this clutter and it stresses me out. It causes a lot of anxiety for me. It also has literally cost me money. One example is expired Kohl’s cash that I forgot about this year. I lost over $40.
I could have bought hand towels for the bathroom! This is my usual go-to items because I switch out towels in our three bathrooms most everyday.
It will also help me focus on making appointments (I found my paperwork for bloodwork and my mammogram), fill out the jury duty survey, and all the random things that I now have organized.
On to the pantry shelves next
I’m going to do the 20 minute timer trick again this week because I need to organize my mess of a pantry closet. I have food on many shelves but in one section, I have crafts, party stuff, holiday decor, kids’ artwork that’s probably getting crushed, and some gift cards that I want to use. I just have to dig them all out and get organized.
I doubt I’ll make a big dent in my bedroom decluttering this week but so far I’m happy with with what I did.
I’m also going to keep trying to watch a movie a day which is a huge luxury for me.
Progress over perfection
In addition to slowly decluttering, I’m proud of myself for continuing to journal here. I haven’t worked on my other websites in days but will for sure next week, if not sooner.
Another thing I did and have to continue doing is posting once a day on TikTok. I have samples coming due so I need to film a bunch of videos tomorrow. I’m also keeping up with my walking.
Oh! And yesterday I sold a dress on Poshmark on an offer someone made me for $60-something dollars. That was exciting to not have to negotiate. She was serious! I had it priced for around $72, I think. It only cost me $1 so I made $52 or so on it!
I’m continuing to list at least one thing a day on Poshmark.