Stop Procrastinating Using the One-Minute Rule
When some find organizing particularly useful for unwinding or clearing their mind, others tackle it merely out of necessity.
Whether it’s dusting, changing bed sheets, scrubbing the shower tray, or picking up clothes that constantly migrate between the bed and the desk chair… It’s often a tormenting moment that becomes even more challenging as clutter accumulates with each passing day.
To avoid reaching a point of no return, the Kaizen method, also known as the one-minute rule, suggests that each task should be done immediately if it can be completed within 60 seconds.
Many Tasks don’t Take More than 60 Seconds
If one tends to become overwhelmed by the number of tasks to be done, it’s often because these tasks are deferred by all the household members, leading to accumulation…
Not to mention an increased mental load due to the unpleasant feeling of having a sword of Damocles hanging overhead. But in reality, most of these various obligations can be accomplished in a minute or less.
Making the bed, removing a coffee stain from the desk, clearing hair from the brush, folding the few clothes lying on the desk chair, doing a load of laundry… These are some chores that don’t need hours to be completed.
We may not realize it, but many micro-tasks can be done more quickly than we think, so why let them linger?
The One-Minute Rule
The idea is to immediately do any tasks that come up if they will take one minute or less to complete.
For example, if you have breakfast and just need to clean your bowl and glass, spend 45 seconds washing them before heading out to work.
Seem too simple to be effective? Well, think about it. Next time you’re surveying your messy room/workspace/car, think about how much of that mess could have been prevented if you had been applying the One Minute Rule.
I’m going to guess, almost all of it.
A Daily Habit that Saves a Tremendous Amount of Time
Whether living alone, as a couple, or in a shared household, this one-minute rule applies to everyone — even to your partner who never seems to find the time to wash their coffee mug or put their socks in the laundry.
The advantage is that by adopting this good daily habit, we drastically reduce the number of things to do over the weekend, allowing more time for other more exciting activities or simply for resting.
Because if all the tasks that take only a minute are done promptly, the more significant chores can be completed in a more limited timeframe, thereby contributing, along with sharing these tasks, to reducing the mental load. And that, that is priceless.