The One Minute Rule is The Easiest Productivity Hack To Crush Your To-Do List
We’re all looking for an easy way to get more done in less time! Well, this productivity tip will help you crush your to-do list in just one minute - even if you have a million and one things to do!
The one-minute rule is the ultimate productivity hack that will change your perspective on how long it takes to knock off items on your to-do list.
From the moment I wake up, it's go-go-go! There’s never any time to make the bed or have breakfast. At work, there’s no time to think about home life, let alone what I’m going to eat for lunch (let’s be honest, it was probably Pad See Ew). Seven hours later, I’d come home and home my to-do list would stare me right in the face.
Dishes piled up
Clothes everywhere
Shoot, I’m down to my last clean undies, need to do laundry
Kitchen, filthy
Ugh the bathroom, I don’t even want to use it right now
My to-do list kept me so busy, that I got some serious health issues!!
After 20 minutes of cleaning, it's time to cook, but there's no food!
"Make A list," and "Go shopping” are added to the never-ending To-Do list.
On top of that, there's gym, family, and oh yeah, SLEEP! Don’t even get me started on hanging out with friends.
I'm exhausted writing about it all. And research shows, that the longer we wait to do something, the less likely we are actually going to do it!! So, I didn’t do anything on my list and I would let life happen to me.
For many of us, this is life. To be honest, this was my life for a long time, and it was tiring. I was like Jesse Spano from Saved by the Bell, screaming "I'm so excited! I'm so scared!"
Then one day, on the way to work, I was listening to Happier with Gretchen Ruben. Happier is a podcast about introducing better habits into your life to live a happier life. Every episode they provide a "Try This at Home" tip, for all the listeners to… well, try at home. This is where I first heard “the one-minute rule." And boy, was my life changed.
The One Minute Rule - Productivity Hack By Gretchen Rubin
First off, let me tell you, a minute is a reasonable amount of time. Sixty long seconds to DO.
Don’t believe me? Set a timer right now for sixty seconds and don’t do anything. just sit there and watch the seconds go by.
Don’t want to sit quietly and watch time, just do what I did and sing and dance your ass off to Lizzo’s Truth Hurts.
60 seconds takes you to the start of the second verse! And if you’re like me, you’ve also just lost 200 calories just from dancing and singing!
Back to this amazing productivity hack
Well, the one minute rule, is pretty simple. If there’s a task in your life that you can do in a minute or less, just go ahead and do it! Take productivity by the horns and make your to-do list your bitch!
The one minute rule in action…
I’m sitting on the couch, and I see that my shoes are on the floor in the living room - not in the closet where they belong.
Now let’s ask the one-minute rule question, will it take me a minute or less to put my shoes back where they belong?
If the answer is Yes! Proceed.
If the answer is no, don’t proceed!
How easy is that? When I’m walking around my apartment, and I see to-do’s everywhere, I ask myself will it take me a minute or less to do put the clothes away? Put the dishes in the sink? Hang the Towels?
The answer was usually yes!
It took a minute to pick up our dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. Instead of one dish in the morning, I'd clean two or three or one large pot. Next, I'd throw a load in the wash. Fold a few shirts. Cut a carrot for snacks or pack leftovers for lunch the next day. Add to my shopping list for the grocery store or adding a few groceries to my basket.
And this began retraining my neural pathways into believing that these tasks were simple and achievable that is now a healthy habit!
What happened after I used this productivity tip long-term?
After just a week of using the one-minute rule, my to-do list got shorter! Because I was taking small actions throughout my day, my home wasn’t so cluttered with these small menial tasks.
Doing one-minute tasks many times a day, made life simple.
Dishes are no longer piling up. Cleaning a few dishes while I cooked made the meal enjoyable. Why? The sink wasn't full of dirty pots!
Picking up clothes while I wait for coffee is a sanity saver.
Finally, relief in my life! The best part, I regained control of my to-do list.
can the one-minute rule be applied to work?
Yes, small emails, expenses, and quick phone calls were the first things off my to-do list because of the one-minute rule!
How I use the one-minute rule to stay healthy
Spending the first minute out of bed stretching my body.
Taking one-minute breaks from my computer to rest my eyes and do a little more stretching.
As you know, I’m big on the bean protocol and one way I eat more beans is by opening and rinsing a can of beans.
Taking a minute to refill my water bottle - because hydration is mandatory!
Other Ways to use the One Minute Rule productivity hack
Here’s another way I use the one-minute rule. Before I watch another episode of the Marvelous Mrs Maisel, I’d set the timer and begin tackling one task around the house.
As soon as the alarm goes off, I stop and I’m okay with whatever progress I made.
Dishes are perfect for this task, especially when they’re PILING up in the sink.
Time for one minute a couple of times of a day and boom, one big mess turned into small manageable steps.
Why did the one-minute rule work?
If you're anything like my friends or me, you like to get things done. Completely scratched off your list. Does this sound familiar?
You're probably nodding your head, yes.
I'm a doer, give me a list, and it will get done. In the past, I couldn't only wash one dish. I had to clean all of the plates at once. But this is why my to-do list piled up.
My mentality was all or nothing. This mindset was my demise. Breaking up larger tasks into smaller tasks made my to-do list achievable.
Although it was a hard to break the "all or nothing" habit, it has changed my life around. I’m looking at you piles of dishes!
Ways to use the one minute Rule Hack!
Everyday household chores
Do some life admin
Meditate
Improving your morning routine
Think about all the time you'd get back from using the one-minute rule five times a day. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
Do you use the one-minute rule? What's your favorite thing to do in one minute?
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