When it comes to organizing our homes, we all have our own routines — some of which aren’t always efficient. Whether you decide to leave things for another day, tackle a small task daily, or simply forget to put things back to where they belong, it’s very easy for the clutter to start piling up.
I know I’m guilty of bringing items downstairs only to leave it on a bookshelf or table for days. And while I’ve tried all sorts of organizing hacks from KonMarie to the holistic Swedish Death Cleaning, I’d still go back to old habits again.
However, there is one particular hack that has resurfaced, promising to make household chores less overwhelming. What’s more, it will only take you 60 seconds!
What is the One-Minute Rule?
Essentially, the One-Minute Rule is a no -fuss way of decluttering that will instantly keep your house tidy. The idea is simple — If a task takes less than one minute, you do it immediately.
So if you have a dishwasher to unload, you put the items away, or if you have clean/ironed laundry to fold, these should go back to its rightful place in the closet.
Coined by Gretchen Rubinthe New York Times bestselling author, the key here is to focus on micro-habits; meaning one small task in just one minute will eventually lead you to a tidier space. This will also eliminate the bad habit of shifting items from one area to another before finally putting them back to their rightful place.
Intrigued by this somewhat, ‘speed-cleaning’ technique, I decided to put it to the test in my home.
1. Putting laundry away
Admittedly, this is one of my bad habits. And there’s been countless times when I’ve folded my clean laundry, only to leave it in the basket to put away for ‘another day’. While I’d have the best intention to put clothes and items back immediately, there would always be something else that cropped up.
The one-minute rule meant that as soon as I’d folded laundry, I would immediately put everything away in its designated place. And since items are already folded, this task shouldn’t take more than a minute to do.
2. Cleaning cabinet/door handles
When was the last time you deep cleaned your cabinet or door handles? Kitchen cabinet handles in particular are prone to daily grime, especially by the transfer of germs from other people’s hands (and spreading bacteria!).
With that in mind, I literally cleaned my kitchen handles with a disinfectant wipe within a minute, also including the handles on the oven, microwave, fridge door, and kettle. The one-minute rule was a good way to deal with such smaller tasks that I wouldn’t ordinarily tackle on a daily basis.
3. Organizing shoes in entryway
As mom to a teen with a mass collection of trendy footwear (plus my own), the entryway has now become a cluttered space. In fact, my designated storage box was starting to overflow, with all sorts of mis-matched footwear spilling onto the stairs, leaving an unsightly mess. Trouble is, I just didn’t have the time to get round to sorting it.
With the one-minute rule in mind, I set about organizing the footwear, to make it neat and tidy. Not only did I have a tidier space, but I was able to create more floor space without the eyesore.
If you want to avoid a footwear pile-up by the door however, try one of these 9 space-saving ideas to organize shoes in your entryway. A storage bench is a great multi-functional solution that also doubles up as a comfy seating area to put on shoes.
Verdict
Although the one-minute rule may sound like a mission impossible, it does force you to act quickly, especially if you are short on time. I was amazed at just how quickly I was able to tackle tasks that I would ordinarily put off, or deem an inconvenience.
In that sense, the one-minute makes it far more effective than just going through chores all at one time, or whenever you feel like it!
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