The one minute rule
The game changer in everyday chaos
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Our author is not a messy or chaotic person. And yet they are there, the small, mean tasks on the to-do list. The ones that never go away. The ones you always put off because “It’s not urgent” and “It’s quick” – actually. A solution attempt.
I love to-do lists because I’m a total fan of celebrating myself for what I’ve already accomplished. Let’s face it, we all need that from time to time, right? And that becomes very clearly visible through scrawled writing on pieces of paper fluttering around. bathroom cleaned? Check. vacuumed? Check. Shopping? Check. Brilliant!
A common phenomenon that all to-do lists bring with them, however, are the small tasks. The ones that are not urgent or time-consuming, that you could always do quickly, in between. And yet – they are there. Always.
In my latest trawl through the depths of the internet, I discovered it, the universal formula for my problem: the so-called “One Minute Rule”. As if by magic and with a halo, it appeared before me, almost perfect and so obviously simple: If you have a task that you can do in less than a minute, do it now. How now, so easy? Can not be. Otherwise I would have figured it out long ago. I thought.
About the one who went looking for him
There has to be a catch somewhere. Shaking my head and mumbling “too good to be true” I went into the fight against the small tasks. Against unmade beds, sports bags lying carelessly in the corner (including the clothes, of course not washed), against limescale stains on the tap and coffee cups from last Friday on the desk. To start with, I set a goal of living by the “one minute rule” for three days. So far so good.
day 1
It starts just before half past seven. Still very sleepy, I put my cornflakes bowl in the sink and almost want to turn around when I remember. Ha! The bastard almost grabbed me, but not with me. I quickly rinse off the bowl and happily set it out to dry. If things don’t go well!
As the day progresses, I notice them more and more often, the little things. When the water bottle is empty, I get up and get a new one, which is also a nice change from sitting all the time. The coffee mug is taken away directly without any detours and is not draped nicely on the desk. I collect my flying paperclips and keep them in one place. Ah, how nice, this order. And so easy!
day 2
Today is a stressful day, without a doubt. Here an appointment, there still quickly work off the e-mails, somehow you still get nothing. If I have the feeling that everything is getting too much for me, I deal with smaller tasks in order not to lose motivation in between. Because it makes a difference whether you have completed five activities after ten minutes or can tick a larger one after three hours. For a sense of achievement to-go, the previously annoying booger tasks are worth their weight in gold, you just have to keep at it.
day 3
Saturday. Between blankets and pillows I turn around again, because today I really don’t feel like doing to-dos. As I take a careful look at the list, I realize that it isn’t as long as I thought it would be. In principle I think it’s good. But can that really be because I’ve done small tasks in the last few days? It can, I think to myself as I take a look at the non-existent pile of dishes in the sink. Yesterday’s sweater is still hanging over the desk chair and I’ve been wanting to get rid of the paper waste for a long time, but improvement is in sight.
It’s the little things
Three days have now passed. It was nice. It really was because it makeable is, and so easy. My even tidier self pushes the imaginary Schlauberger glasses up the bridge of his nose and recommends the “one minute rule” with a raised index finger. Predicate good and definitely try it out! Because, as the saying goes: It’s the little things that make the difference. Amen.