Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything that we’d like to get done, done, and when that happens, we can feel like we’ve achieved very little.

However, sometimes we don’t need long stretches of time to achieve things, as there are many things that we can do in small pockets of time, even as small as 20 minutes or less, which when utilised well can make a big difference to how productive we feel at the end of the day.

If you’d like to start using small pockets of time during your day to be more productive, then here are 20 things you can do in 20 minutes or less.

1 Declutter

Decluttering doesn’t have to take a long time, you can break larger decluttering projects down into smaller timeframes, or you can declutter smaller, out of sight areas such as a junk drawer, a kitchen cupboard, your handbag, or children’s school bag.

Often it’s the smaller, out of sight areas that are the most satisfying decluttering jobs.

2 Clean your bathroom

Bathrooms are my least favourite part of the house to clean, but once done make a huge difference to my mood because I no longer walk into a dirty bathroom on a daily basis.

You don’t have to deep clean your bathroom each time you clean it, just a wipe down of the basin, bath, shower screen, toilet, and mirrors, which can take as little as 10 minutes to do, will have a huge impact on how you feel each time you use it.

3 Go through your inbox

Emails can very quickly build up, which can often mean missing important ones that are hidden amongst emails we haven’t read, or even want.

Taking a small amount of time to go through your inbox and unsubscribe from emails, and then creating folders to file away read, need to read, or want to save emails, will create a less cluttered inbox that’s not so overwhelming each time you open your emails.

4 Organise phone photos

One of the things you can do in 20 minutes or less that makes a huge impact to your phone’s storage, is to go through your photos and delete photos you don’t want, as well as ones that are blurry, and keep only one or two of a photo that you took many different shots of.

If you have time after doing this, create some folders and start to move photos into them, so each time you open your photo gallery, you’ll only see your most recent photos.

5 Run an errand

Is there an errand that you really need to do, but just haven’t made the time to do it?

If so, small pockets of time are the best times to get them done.

This could include anything from picking up a needed item at the grocery store, going to the Post Office, getting some clothing altered, or getting a birthday present for an upcoming party.

6 Fold some laundry

Folding laundry is a chore that I tend to put off, but once done makes me feel like I’ve achieved something, and it only needs a small amount of time dedicated to it.

7 Meal plan for the week ahead

If you have a spare 20 minutes, creating a meal plan for what you’ll eat each night for the week ahead, and then making a grocery list for the ingredients you’ll need, will save you a lot of time over the long term, and will also result in less food wastage.

8 Clean out your car

The inside of our cars can get messy very quickly, especially if you have kids who like to eat on car journeys.

Crumbs, wrappers, dust, and tissues seem to find their way into every corner.

If your car’s in desperate need of a clean out, grab a rubbish bag, a cloth, and a vacuum and start to clean it out, you’ll be so happy you took the time to do this, especially if you unexpectantly have to pick someone up.

9 Do a speed tidy up

A small pocket of time is perfect for a speed tidy up, which is going into each room of your home and removing anything that shouldn’t be in a room, and putting it back where it belongs.

10 Make appointments you’ve been avoiding

Are there any appointments that you need to make that you’ve put off, such as doctor or dentist visits?

Or are there any life admin things that you’ve been avoiding, such as changing doctors, dealing with paperwork, or ordering your children new school uniforms?

If so, 20 minutes or less is a great amount of time to get these things done once and for all.

11 Clean out your food cupboards

If you haven’t cleaned out your food cupboards for awhile, take some time to go through them and remove anything that’s expired.

Once done, make a list of what you have left so you can use what you already have for upcoming meals.

12 Take time out

Taking time out for ourselves can be something that we feel guilty about, or something that we think about doing after everyone else’s needs are met, and it shouldn’t be like that.

Doing something that we enjoy is integral for our mental health, and allows us to recharge when we’re stressed or overwhelmed.

Taking time out is one of the best things you can do in 20 minutes or less, because it’s something for you, instead of being something that meets the needs of those around you.

13 Vacuum or mop your floors

Giving yourself a small amount of time to vacuum or mop your floors may just be the motivation you need to actually do it, if like me these are things that you dread.

14 Tackle your to do list

Is there something on your to do list that you’ve been putting off doing, but won’t take a lot of time?

Tackling your to do list and getting even just one thing off it, may just be the motivation you need to tick more things off, making you feel super productive at the end of the day.

15 Sort out your paper clutter

Spending time to sort out your paper clutter, which can include bills, receipts, permission slips, and mail, by recycling it, filing it, or posting it back to the sender, goes a long way towards reducing the amount of clutter you need to look at on a daily basis.

16 Plan your week ahead

Planning out your week allows you to stay focussed on what you need to achieve during that time period, which in turn increases your productivity levels.

You don’t need to spend a long time planning out your week, you could just list everything you’d like to get accomplished, or write down your commitments.

17 Record important dates

If there are any dates that you need to remember but haven’t had a chance to put on the calendar yet, now’s a great time to do it.

Perhaps you need to remember a birthday, an anniversary, an upcoming party, or an appointment.

Similarly, go through your calendar and delete dates or appointments that have passed and won’t be repeated, so each time you open your calendar you aren’t scrolling through dates that are no longer relevant.

18 Start dinner prep

If there’s any part of dinner that can be prepared in advance, such as making mashed potatoes, cutting ingredients, or making a salad, taking some time to do these things will significantly decrease the amount of time you’ll spend on this task once everyone is at home, and there’s distractions.

19 Set some goals

Goal setting doesn’t have to be complicated.

It could be as simple as taking 20 minutes or less to write a few personal or work related goals that you’d like to achieve, and then detailing the steps that you need to take to achieve them.

Then when you have another 20 minutes or less, you can start to schedule each step into your calendar, so you start to work towards actually achieving them.

20 Make a list of fun things to do

Having a list of fun things to do, means that whenever you find yourself with a day to do something, all you have to do is refer to the list and choose something, instead of wasting time researching an activity.

I hope you’ve found some things you can do in 20 minutes or less on this list that you’ll try when you have a small pocket of time to fill.

Is there anything you could add to this list?