Let’s be real here. Ten minutes isn’t much time at all. When my son asks how much longer before bedtime and I say ten minutes, he groans like I’m telling him to go right now. And when I go to a restaurant on a Saturday night and the hostess says the wait time is ten minutes, I get really excited because I was expecting at least 25. Ten minutes is pretty darn short.
So when you have ten free minutes you assume you can’t get anything productive done, right? Wrong. There are so many quick and easy tasks just waiting for you around the house. And you’ve probably been procrastinating to do all of them.
10 Quick Household Tasks
1. Download a grocery list app to make shopping easier and never forget your pen and paper.
2. Clean out your email inbox. Delete anything you don’t need to keep. And while you’re at it, unsubscribe from store’s lists you don’t shop at anymore. Here’s my step-by-step guide on how to declutter your e-clutter.
3. Pin inspiration for your next home project. Pinterest may seem like fun, but gathering ideas for an upcoming project is actually part of the process.
4. Give your home a quick Swiffer dusting. Those extending poles they have now make dusting really easy and you can get the whole house dust and fur free in no time. Save more time by building your own cleaning schedule.
5. Clean out any old or expired items in your refrigerator. Don’t forget to check the condiments in the door. Rarely do we think about the salad dressings and ketchup bottles.
6. Wipe down the dashboard of your car. It’s so easy and convenient to run through a car wash on your way home from work, but the dashboard often gets ignored. And here’s how you can organize it while you’re there.
7. Check your home air filter to see if it needs to be cleaned or replaced. A good rule of thumb is to check them monthly and change when they start looking yucky. Change them every month if you have pets to keep allergens down. The HERO Home Organizer can help you keep track of this.
8. Log all your to-do’s in your phone and set reminders to help stay focused.
9. Give your bank account a quick check online to make sure there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Most banks have an app for your phone which makes logging in really easy.
10. Make a quick repair. Change a lightbulb, tighten a loose screw, oil a squeaky door, touch up a paint scuff, refill soap dispensers, anything you know you need to do that you keep saying you’ll eventually get around to.
Read More: Ask Lela: I’ve Got No Time To Get Organized!
Weigh In:
What little tasks do you do when you have ten free minutes? Could you trade a bit of mindless scrolling for something that will actually make your home and life a bit more organized?
Updated March 2019
This is a good reminder—especially when we are all so busy.
Please drop by and say hello! It won’t take ten minutes!
ஐღLauraღஐ
Harvest Lane Cottage
…doing what I can with what I’ve got where I am
on a short shoestring budget!
~~~~~
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for visiting! I will definitely check out your site. Have a great weekend!
Really useful list of productive things to accomplish. I always clean the bathroom and sweep in ten minute increments.
That’s a great way to do it. My whole house is hardwood and I would be sweeping all afternoon if I did it all at once. Sounds like you’ve got a good system!
I usually check IG when I have a few extra minutes or do a quick pick up around my home!
I totally agree. It’s amazing how much you can get done in just a few minutes.