The Easy ‘While You Wait’ Organizing Method Makes the Most of Wasted Minutes at Home, Urge Pros

For maximum efficiency, we're always looking for ways to make the most of typically wasted minutes – as you boil the kettle, cook dinner, or wait for a bath to run, for example.

And, while there's nothing wrong with taking these moments to breathe, there are also a number of quick, small tasks you can get done while you wait, hence the name of the 'While You Wait' method.

Here, professional organizers explain how this unconventional organizing method to limit clutter can be so impactful in such a short amount of time.

What is the 'While You Wait' method?

As Elena Navarro, professional cleaner and organizing specialist at Sparkly Maid Austin, explains, the 'While You Wait' concept utilizes small pockets of time available throughout the course of a normal day to do some micro-organizing activities and micro-resets, rather than mindlessly scrolling on your phone, or simply standing there and wasting time.

'The idea behind this is micro-organizing or micro-decluttering done in one to five-minute increments, focusing on very small spaces, therefore giving you the ability to continue working to eliminate clutter, but never requiring large blocks of time,' she says.

For that reason, this method is particularly suited to people who are struggling to reduce mental load and find it difficult to make their to-do list less overwhelming when it comes to tidying.

Which 'While You Wait' Moments Can Homeowners Make the Most Of?

Elena recommends that individuals use the typical pauses we experience daily as opportunities to utilize the 'While You Wait' method. For example, as you wait for the kettle to boil or coffee to brew, while dinner is cooking, while a file downloads, or while on hold for a call – all of which are small pockets of time you can use to tick off the things to do to keep mess at bay.

'Since these happen regularly, they can be used as consistent reminders to achieve small successes,' she adds. These moments are also suitable for micro-decluttering, too.

What You Can Get Done In 'While You Wait' Moments

As Elena advises, when it comes to the 'While You Wait' method, the tasks you choose should always be small, contained, and possible to finish completely within a few minutes. This should help you avoid any classic home organizing mistakes, like leaving chores halfway through.

Some of her favorites include:

• Clearing and wiping down one small area of your bathroom or kitchen while the kettle is boiling.
• Sorting one drawer (cutlery, makeup, nightstands), or one section of a shelf, while something is cooking in the microwave or oven.
• Tossing junk mail, tearing down several cardboard boxes, or emptying one of your catch-all baskets, while a call is connecting.
• Putting away shoes in the entryway, folding one blanket, or putting items back into their rooms, from a small bin, such as the HUUSMOT Small Pastel Plastic Storage Baskets, available in a pack of six at Amazon, while waiting for another family member to get ready.

In order to keep yourself organized for seizing these moments, Elena also suggests staging a couple of simple tools in strategic locations ahead of time. For example, you can fill a small handled caddy, such as the Mainstays Small Portable Caddy, available at Walmart, with a microfiber cloth and an all-purpose spray.

Placing a narrow 'return bin' near the hallway, or on the stairs, also makes it easy to quickly return items that belong to other rooms using the 'While You Wait' method, whenever a usable pocket of time arises.

I Tried the 'While You Wait' Method

Since learning about the 'While You Wait' method, it's something I've been trying to implement into my daily life. I've found it works especially well when I run my evening bath or boil some pasta, as both of those give me plenty of time, but less so when I boil the kettle, for example, as that only takes under a minute, and simply isn't enough time for me to get much done. That being said, I have found it to be an excellent moment to empty my dish drying rack, following the kitchen sink organizing rules, so that's a plus.

MY VERDICT: In general, I definitely recommend the 'While You Wait' method, but less so as a 'method,' and more as a way of life. It's something you have to do when the moment arises, rather than specifically setting time aside to do it, which, really, is where the beauty lies – it turns typically wasted time into a productive way to tick off chores.

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Meet the Expert

Elena Navarro

Elena Navarro is a cleaning expert and professional organizer at Sparkly Maid Austin, an award-winning home cleaning company serving families across Austin, TX.

Implementing a 10-minute evening reset is also an easy way to achieve stress-free minutes with little time.