I Tried the 'GFD' Trick, and Now I'll Use It All Year to Keep My Home Clutter-Free
One of the best ways to get something done — no matter what it is — is to have a time constraint attached to it. Whether it's doing a Power 10 with my family or using the 'Race the Clock' method to whip my entire house into shape, having a 'deadline' keeps me from procrastinating and makes me efficient. There's just something about having the end in sight that lights a fire under me. That's why when I came across this trick for having a 'Guests for Dinner Bin' by Holly Blakey of @breathing.room.home, I loved it instantly.
The 'Guests for Dinner' (or 'GFD,' as Blakey calls it) Bin trick involves grabbing a bin or box (any similarly sized container, really) and clearing off the clutter on surfaces in the common areas the guests will see. Once the surfaces are cleared, the filled basket can be stashed in an out-of-sight spot and you and your guests can enjoy time together in your picked-up home. There's an important caveat, though: You have to put the contents of the basket away within 24 hours or you'll end up with a basket of clutter and items you can't find!
I love this method for actually getting the house ready for guests. I've found out for myself that if having people over involves too much overwhelming preparation, I hesitate to invite them. I generally don't like having guests over to a messy house; it's not comfortable for me and I feel like it doesn't honor them. The GFD trick makes it super fast to get the house into an acceptable condition before people arrive, which eliminates the overwhelm that can come when you're expecting company. Moreover, the method is perfectly suited to last-minute guests or, really, to any situation where you're pressed for time to get the house in order.
In fact, this method is so effective that I've started pretending I'm having guests over. I know how I'd want my house to look if people were coming, and, frankly, I want to enjoy that freshly ordered feel myself sometimes! So I'll grab a plastic laundry basket and sweep off the common area surfaces into the basket. When I have a few minutes later on, like when I'm on a phone call to catch up with a friend or I want to listen to my audiobook, I'll go around and put everything where it belongs.
My family and I recently had a busy weekend that involved soccer games in two different cities as well as the usual activities required for gearing up for the next week. The house was in disarray, and I was starting to feel anxious from the messy surroundings. But I didn't have time to do a complete, typical cleanup. The GFD trick came to the rescue.
I acted like guests were arriving any minute and I tore through the house with my laundry basket and got all the out-of-place items off of surfaces. I found, to my surprise, that the method itself kept me efficient because I wasn't getting distracted putting items away as I picked them up. Instead, by focusing on the end result, I got there so much faster. The basket sat in the bonus room for several hours, but my mood was lifted instantly in my newly calmed space (and the items got put away eventually, again without me going back and forth between clearing off and putting away).
The impact cleared-off surfaces have on the look and feel of the entire home is impressive. The GFD trick is so effective at getting surfaces clean that I've adopted it for any time I need a quick refresh at home.
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It's a Game-Changer!)
Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Article's DTC Furniture
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here's What They Said
Sign up for Apartment Therapy's Daily email newsletter to receive our favorite posts, tours, products, and shopping guides in your inbox.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
I Followed the '3-30' Rule, and It Went Better Than Expected
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. In an ideal world, I reshuffle my plan for taking care of household responsibilities before the kids are home all day every day once school's out in the summer. But I had no chance at all to do that this year. Instead, I found myself barely staying above water when it came to routine tasks like cooking, laundry, and keeping the living room presentable (read: not making me break out in hives from the rumpled pillows and strewn-around socks). And I'm not one of those people who can completely let everything go and stay content because there are more important things to do than keeping the kitchen floor spotless. For me, in order to be present and enjoy the summertime with my kids, I need our surroundings to be picked-up and peaceful. So I needed a workable solution, and fast, before 'Overwhelmed Mom' showed up to spoil our carefree summer days. Then I came across the 3-30 rule on Instagram, shared by Rylie Jasmine, and I knew it could be the answer I was looking for. The 3-30 rule entails completing household tasks in three sets of 30 minutes throughout the day. The key to the method is its prescriptiveness: Unlike the 5×5 method, which is super effective when you need to wrest order back into a house that's gotten out of hand, the 3-30 rule calls for three distinct times every day dedicated to housework. However, the amount of time spent on chores is finite. Thirty-minute blocks ensure both that the time pressure makes you efficient and that you aren't compelled to let household tasks bleed into time that should be spent on what matters most (which I feel most poignantly during fleeting summer days). I decided to implement the method immediately — and it went even better than expected. Within a few days, I felt like I'd been able to catch up on spaces that had been neglected (like the coat closet and the garage that had become hotspots for summer clutter like sunscreen, goggles, and towels). Additionally, I was surprised by how much I could get done in each 30-minute chunk of time. But the real beauty of the method, one which I couldn't have anticipated until trying it out myself, was how useful it was to not be told exactly what I needed to do during my housework times. Now, normally, I would rather know what I was supposed to do. Having a routine or a checklist cuts down drastically on decision fatigue, leaving plenty of energy left over for actually accomplishing the tasks. But in this case, when our days are topsy-turvy, throwing myself into whatever needs to be done in the moment is perfect. For instance, one day I spent a 30-minute block re-setting our garage workout space so the older kids would be more inclined to use it (and I was rewarded with a text from my teen son saying he 'loved the garage.') Another day, I watered my plants during one of my housework times and then straightened up our bedroom after a whirlwind of packing. The flexibility of the 3-30 rule works so much in my favor during this season. I also discovered how much I can get done around the house in a total of an hour and a half every day. Not only was I able to keep up with most of my daily chores, but I was also able to address some small projects around the house, such as decluttering our laundry room items and deep cleaning everyone's water bottles. Overall, the 3-30 rule has been a resounding success. It's an approach I'm personally likely to put into practice anytime our days are unpredictable, but it's also a solid choice as a permanent household routine. We Used Our New 'Room Plan' Tool to Give This Living Room 3 Distinct Styles — See How, Then Try It Yourself The Design Changemakers to Know in 2025 Create Your Own 3D Room Plan with Our New Tool Sign up for Apartment Therapy's Daily email newsletter to receive our favorite posts, tours, products, and shopping guides in your inbox.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Feral find on train tracks highlights 'growing' million-dollar threat: 'It's a problem'
Deer sightings in urban areas continue to emerge around the country as invasive species experts warn their spread is "becoming a huge problem". Just days ago, dash cam footage captured the shocking moment two drivers almost collided with a deer darting across a road in Canberra. The video, filmed "in the middle" of the road, shows the large animal suddenly appearing on a grass median strip. It bolted across two lanes of traffic, just metres in front of startled motorists who couldn't help but exclaim "what the f***k." Now, another sighting earlier this week is making waves online, with the introduced pest spotted this time on train tracks in Eastwood, in Sydney's northwest. CEO of the Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough, spoke to Yahoo about the worsening issue, saying it's "unusual" to see deer "that deep into suburbia", but collisions with trains are becoming increasingly common. It poses a major risk not just to the public, but to our fragile ecosystems as their spread seemingly broadens. Data shows that in previous years, trains striking deer have resulted in millions of dollars worth of damage. Between 2005 and 2017, there were 107 vehicle accidents involving deer in Wollongong and Lake Illawarra, with 90 branded as serious and one resulting in a fatality. "It's a problem in Melbourne and a growing issue in the Gold Coast and Canberra," Jack said. "Adelaide is trying to remove them from the hills before they get out of control there." In NSW, according to the Greater Sydney Regional Pest Strategic Animal Management Plan, deer are "moderately distributed" across the city. This means there may still be a chance to contain their spread — if swift action is taken. First brought to Australia in the early 1800s by European settlers, deer were mainly imported for recreational hunting. Red deer were introduced to Tasmania in 1827, followed by several other species over the years, including fallow, sambar, chital and muntjac. The intention was to establish game species for hunting and to introduce animals that mirrored those of the settlers' homelands, creating a more familiar European landscape. However, Australia's ecosystems, having evolved in isolation for millions of years, were never designed to accommodate them. As a result, their populations have exploded. Because they have no natural predators here, deer numbers have risen exponentially across the entire continent, with estimates now suggesting there are millions. 🥬 Despair as invasive species destroys $50k worth of produce in days 🚙 Aussies warned of $96 million threat spilling onto our roads 🏡 Aussie homeowners face 'avalanche' of destructive invasive species The Centre for Invasive Species Solutions CEO, Shauna Chadlowe, encouraged all residents to photograph and report deer when they see them. "Reporting by the public helps us know where the feral deer are, particularly in new areas, as well as areas where deer are spreading," she said. "Knowing where they are helps land management agencies and communities better prepare for early action to keep numbers and impacts of deer low and manageable, rather than waiting for them to get out of hand." Tracking where feral deer are spreading also forewarns towns that will have a problem with the pest in the coming years. Feral deer can reside in an area for many months or even years before the community notices or starts to have concerns. DeerScan reports can be used by land management agencies and councils to help inform where community awareness, education and control efforts can be best supported. National Deer Management Coordinator for the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Dr Annelise Wiebkin, said with extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and fires, pushing the species into new areas, residents can expect to find them in places they might not have been before. In 2021, feral deer were responsible for costing the Australian economy approximately $91.3 million. This includes $69.1 million in agricultural losses. Additionally, public expenditure on control efforts reached $17.8 million, reflecting the ongoing challenge of managing deer populations. The economic impact also extends to infrastructure, with deer-related motor vehicle collisions causing an estimated $3.3 million in damages, as well as $1.2 million in train collisions. Australians can find additional deer resources here. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Swipe right on these cities: A map of the top metro areas for dating
Dating in the U.S. has transformed dramatically over the past few decades. Twenty years ago, most couples met through friends, colleagues or in person at bars and restaurants. Today, over half of heterosexuals meet online, according to a 2017 Stanford study. Dating digitally can come with its own challenges, though. A Pew Research Center report from 2023 found that nearly half of dating app or website users have had negative experiences. While online dating has become pretty ubiquitous across the country, people's personal experiences still vary significantly based on where they live. Some cities are better suited for singles thanks to abundant date venues, large single populations and affordability. Yahoo analyzed the data to rank the best metropolitan areas (with populations of at least 500,000) for dating and identified where singles may be left endlessly swiping. Score methodology Mingle score (55% of score): Unmarried population, ages 20-54 (35%) Gender balance of unmarried population, ages 20-54 (20%) Dating spot score (35% of score): Restaurants, bars, cafes, museums and movie theaters per 100,000 people (30%) Share of people who live alone (5%) Cost of dating score (10% of score): Regional price parities for services, including dining out (5%) Median income for nonfamily households (5%) New Orleans beats out many larger cities thanks to its large single population and high density of date spots. Rounding out the top three are Toledo, Ohio, and New Haven, Conn. — both of which boast high mingle and dating venue scores. The Northeast dominates the rest of the top 10, with New York City in the No. 4 spot. At the bottom of the list are two Utah metro areas: Ogden and Provo. With a high Mormon population, these areas have a younger marriage age and a lower divorce rate, making them home to fewer singles than other cities. Nearby, Colorado Springs, Colo., ranks third to last, driven by a skewed ratio of 80 single women for every 100 single men. The total scores for tech industry cities like San Jose, Calif., Seattle and San Francisco are also dragged down by a higher number of single men compared to single women. Search through the table to find how your city ranks.
