Last Updated on May 4, 2024

This year I’m on a mission to be more organised with my time, and this includes maximising any small pockets of time I may find myself with during the day.

Making the best use of small pockets of time is more important than ever in the stage of life I’m currently in, where having a preschooler and a newborn means that small pockets of time are hard to come by.

Lately when I do find myself with a small pocket of time to myself I’ve been finding that I waste it looking at emails, scrolling social media, cleaning areas of the house that don’t need cleaning, and sometimes even walking around the house looking for something to do.

I know that if I better utilise my small pockets of time I’ll have a better sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, which will enable me to relax better and even dedicate some time to tackling my larger decluttering and organisation projects.

If like me you’d like to better utilise any small pockets of time you may find yourself with, then here are some things you can do in 60 minutes or less:

THINGS TO DO IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS 

• Deal with any paperwork you have lying around. For example, if you need to query a bill, or change your address, then call the supplier and do so, then file away the paperwork. If you often have piles of paperwork lying around you may like to purchase a letter holder that you can place on your kitchen table, so everything is in the one place, and kept somewhere where you’ll remember to regularly deal with it all
• Go through your children’s books or toys and see if there is anything you can donate, or throw out if broken beyond repair
• Sweep your floors, which I tend to do at the end of the night, as Ryan leaves crumbs on the floor during the day
• Return any missed calls or text messages
• Do a quick clean of any area that’s been bugging you for awhile. For me this is the base of my shower
• Delete photos on your phone that you no longer want
• Make folders for photos on your phone that you’ve kept and start to file them away

 THINGS TO DO IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS

• Declutter one area of your home, this could include an entire room or just a drawer
• Reply to emails
• Walk around your home and remove anything that doesn’t belong in a room and put it where it does belong. The best way to do this is to take a laundry basket with you so you can clear everything out of a room in one trip
• Plan your next month, week or day
• Take a much needed nap

 THINGS TO DO IN 60 MINUTES OR LESS

• Unsubscribe from emails you no longer want
• Declutter your wardrobe or your children’s wardrobes and donate any clothes that no longer fit or aren’t worn
• Go through your fridge, freezer, and pantry and throw out any food that has expired
• Organise your fridge and make a note of what you have so you can create meals with these ingredients
• Take some time out for some self-care, which could include going for a walk, doing some yoga, reading, or watching TV
• Plan your meals for the week, this saves you time by not having to think about and shop for meals on a daily basis

WRITE A TASK LIST

One of the best ways to ensure that you maximise your small pockets of time is to keep a master to do list with any items (from the above ideas, or any other ideas you have) on it that you can refer to when you have time to get something done.

I hope I’ve provided some inspiration on things you can do in 60 minutes or less, as getting just one thing done when you have a small pocket of time makes it easier to face the day ahead, and have time later on in the day for things that you truly love.

Is there anything that you like to do when you have 60 minutes or less?