Got 15 minutes?

This is a rerun of a previously published post. Reruns are great, right? Especially if you didn't see it the first time around. I'll be back tomorrow with a brand-new post.

Whether you're decluttering your house, trying to go green, save money, get organized, or all of the above, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

The key is baby steps. Divide your goals into small increments, and you can chip away at them until- tada! Before you know it, you'll have a whole closet organized, or the entire living room decluttered.

15 minute increments are just enough time to make a dent. You can start and complete one thing, or if you're on a roll, you can keep going. By working in 15 minute chunks of time, you can get a lot done.

In the book About a Boy by Nick Hornby, and then in the movie, the character played by Hugh Grant divided his day into 15 minute blocks. He did this because he lived off his father's money, didn't work, and had a lot of free time to fill. I don't know anyone who can relate to that, but I love the book and the movie, and I like the idea of the 15 minute increments, especially for trying to start projects that seem overwhelming.

So here are some of the things you can tackle in 15 minutes:

1. That stack of mail.
2. Your email inbox.
3. Online bills.
4. Your desktop.
5. Your computer desktop.
6. One drawer, one shelf, or one area in your home.
7. The refrigerator.
8. The pantry.
9. Your car.
10. A handwritten thank you note.

Here's how it's working for me: I have an index card on my bulletin board placed right where I see it all the time when I'm on the computer. It simply says "15 minutes" in block letters. I try to stop for 15 minutes once or twice a day, usually to go through mail or whittle down my inbox. Otherwise my time gets eaten up by the never-ending to-do lists, full of must-dos and short and long-term goals.

How do YOU accomplish your organizing and decluttering tasks and goals? Do you think the "15 minute system" could work for you? What tasks would you put on your "15 minute" list? Tell me your thoughts in the Comments section.

P.S. Since I wrote this, I found out that "the Fly Lady" is famous for her 15-minute philosophy. I wasn't forgetting to give her credit, I just hadn't heard of her.