Note: There is no lesson video for today.
If you want a neat house, you can’t keep procrastinating housekeeping tasks.
No more procrastinating.
The problem with procrastinating is this: we train ourselves to believe that a task is difficult and painful to complete. You know why? Because we put it off and make it more difficult and painful than it needs to be!!!
Look around your house right now. How much of the mess could have been prevented if you had just done the task immediately.
Now, imagine what life would be like if you just stopped procrastinating and followed the one minute rule. When you notice a simple task that could be done in less than a minute, do it right then.
If you find yourself frustrated because your house is a mess and you can’t ever catch up, this idea will be life changing. The one minute rule is so simple it will blow your mind. In fact, it’s the perfect solution for those of you who struggle with procrastination.
I remember when I was a young wife and mother and in all honesty, I would have rather been doing anything other than cleaning the house. But, I had a bad habit of putting off tasks and chores until they absolutely had to be done because, well either we were out of clean dishes or out of clean laundry.
I didn’t understand how to be an effective homemaker.
This simple trick will help you get more done in less time and you won’t even feel like you were working.
THE ONE MINUTE RULE
So here’s how it works.
If a task takes less than a minute to complete, go ahead and do it right now.
Here’s the thing. If you want a neat house, you can’t keep procrastinating housekeeping tasks. You have to cultivate some self discipline and the one minute rule is the perfect way to start working on that self discipline. The one minute rule tricks you into forgoing laziness in favor of just getting it done.
Think about it this way. There are so many housekeeping tasks that when done right away only take seconds. For instance, washing your batter bowl in the morning immediately after making muffins {while they are still in the oven} means that you can easily wash away the batter. You know why? Because it hasn’t turned into a crusty mess that will later require soaking, scrubbing, and extra elbow grease.
No more procrastinating.
The problem with procrastinating is this: we train ourselves to believe that a task is difficult and painful to complete. You know why? Because we put it off and make it more difficult and painful than it needs to be!!!
Look around your house right now. How much of the mess could have been prevented if you had just done the task immediately.
- Dirty laundry on the floor.
- An unmade bed.
- Shoes piled by the door.
- Breakfast dishes in the sink.
- Half drunk coffee on the table.
- Trash overflowing in the trash can.
Now, imagine what life would be like if you just stopped procrastinating and followed the one minute rule. When you notice a simple task that could be done in less than a minute, do it right then.
You may have other bad habits besides procrastinating. We all have habits that can use some cleaning up!
I remember a few years ago I realized that I had a few little habits that were not helping me reach my goals and were actually adding to my overwhelm.
For instance, saving things {clutter} that “might be useful one day.” I realized that I spent so much time just organizing, sorting, picking up, cleaning stuff that wasn’t adding beauty, joy, or function to my already busy life.
Since then, I’ve worked on purging a whole lot of clutter and carefully choosing what I bring into my home.
You may have other habits that are causing you create more work for yourself. Give some serious thought to what little habits in your life may actually be causing you more work and more overwhelm.
HOMEWORK
Remember to fill our today’s worksheets in your Disciplined Homemaker Workbook and continue with your routines:
- Morning Worship
- Beds Made
- Plan Your Day
- Dishes are Done
Inside your workbook, you’ll find a list of 40 tasks you can complete in one minute or less. Use this list to start thinking about changing your bad habits and replacing them with good habits. This list would also be great to share with your family and for training your children to be neater.