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Take a few seconds to look around you.
Are there small tasks that you need to get to? Laundry that is unfolded, vacuuming of a certain room, a couple of dishes in the sink? Is your bed unmade? Does your trash need to be taken out?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, or noticed that you had some other little tasks to complete, this little hack is for you.
I used to struggle a lot with staying productive throughout my early twenties. Letting things pile up was a regular occurrence in my life, and in the blink of an eye, I would have a to-do list that was miles long.
I found out about the one-minute rule a few years ago, and while I haven’t stuck to it since then, I have been making a conscious effort to sticking to it lately.
And you guys, it’s incredible!
If you are someone who, like me, struggles sometimes with staying productive or you just like getting things done, the one-minute rule will help you get crazy organized and maximize productivity.
Related:
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The One-Minute Rule: Why You Should Live By It
Simply put, the one-minute rule means that if something is going to take you one minute or less to do, you just do it. No second thoughts, no “I’ll get to it later”. You do it now.
Sounds simple, right? That’s because it is!
Applying this rule in your life will also help you save time, in addition to keeping you productive, organized, and totally on top of your game.
How to apply this rule in your life:
How many times during the week do you not bother with picking up after yourself? I used to do it all week. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was knee-deep in piles of stuff all over my house.
Would you rather do an hours-long cleaning on the weekend, or not have a lot to do and instead spend more time relaxing? I would hope it’s the latter.
Here are some easy ways you can apply the one-minute rule throughout the week to avoid having to spend hours cleaning on the weekend:
- make your bed
- load the dishwasher
- put food back in the fridge
- put dirty clothes in the hamper
- hang your coat/jacket back in the closet
- take out the trash
- wipe your countertops
- clean your bathroom mirror
- hang your keys by the door
- water your plants
- put your shoes in their place
What I love the most about the one-minute rule is that in addition to helping me keep an organized space, it also keeps mental clutter away.
I love being organized and often declutter my space. I mostly do it because I hate having random stuff lying around. Whenever things pile up, I lose focus and become distracted very easily.
Having a clean space thanks to the one-minute rule keeps me more focused and helps me stay on task and, in turn, I am able to tackle my to-do list in no time.
The one-minute rule doesn’t only have to apply to home life. I also use it at work, and with blogging.
Here are some ways I do that:
- tidying up my desk
- decluttering my work bag
- filing papers away after use
- organizing folders on my laptop
- texting someone back
- putting stationary away after use
- putting notebooks/planners away when I’m done with them
- writing my to-do list
- answering quick emails
- sending out messages
- setting up meetings
It’s so much better for me to do these little tasks that take no time throughout the day than to have them hang over my head until I decide I finally want to tackle them.
A trick I also like to use is to set up a timer for one minute on my Fitbit (this little watch has been my favorite thing lately!) whenever I’m straightening out my room. You’ll be amazed at how many things I get done in just one minute!
I think everybody should at least try out the one-minute rule! Try it for a few days and see how you feel about it. I’m sure you’ll find yourself less overwhelmed and more productive.
Do you follow this rule, or think that it is something you will be trying out in your daily life? If so, let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed reading this post and learned something new, pin the image below to help others learn about this awesome productivity hack!
Related:
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I’ve never heard of the one minute rule but I love it! I think I probably do this anyway. All those little boring tasks that can get done quickly.. just do them! x
Absolutely! Having all these little dumb things piled up drives me nuts!
This is a wonderful idea! We all have a little time throughout the day that can be put to good use. And avoid the snowball of clutter.
Absolutely! It really helps with avoiding clutter.
The one minute rule is so easy and simplistic. The next step is to get out of my way and apply it.
Once you do it a few times, it should come naturally to you! 😊
Honestly, I’ve been doing this for a while now and it’s crazy what a huge difference it makes!
Absolutely! Thank you for reading. 🙂
I hadn’t heard about this till now. I am definitely going to try this out. Thanks for this post!
My pleasure!
I have never heard of this one minute method but I love it. I am a procrastinator if something takes to long to do so this is great for me.
I think you will love it! Thank you for stopping by. 😊
This is such a clever, simple little hack! I’m really bad for leaving things all over the place because I can’t be bothered putting them away, so I’m going to give this a shot over the next few days and see how I get on!
Beth x Adventure & Anxiety
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll love it. 😊
Great rule to live by. I actually do this already, I just hadn’t put a name to it!
That’s awesome that you already do it!
I’ve heard of this hack before but I actually never did something with it. Now I’ve read about it again, I’m sure I just need to start doing this!
I hope you like it as much as I do! Such a time-saver!
Yess I love this rule!! I don’t live by it every second of the day but it is my mantra for getting stuff done!
Rosie
loverosiee.co.uk
I had never heard of the one minute rule until now. It’s great – definately going to share this with my friends! Nothing worse than having a build up of chores!
I haven’t heard of this but it sounds great! I have a real habit of leaving all cleaning tasks until the weekend (even things like ‘pick up jumper off of floor’) so this could be good to try!
Honestly I used to be the same way! I’d focus on the bigger things I needed to get done and regret leaving the small stuff til the last minute! I hope you try this out and like it! 😊
Such a great piece of advice! It’s amazing the excuses we’ll tell ourselves for not doing something when it takes less time to do it. Thanks for this great reminder!
Aw my pleasure! I’m glad you liked it!
I loved this ! Thank you for sharing! I haven’t received my planner tho ?
Please check your spam! Sometimes the emails go there by mistake.