No one has said “Let’s make my day harder”, or “How can I complicate this”. We all want things to be easier, smoother, faster. The problem comes in because we usually don’t know how to start, nor do we have the time to figure it out. Frankly, working parents struggle with finding time to sit and relax much less make improvements.
Luckily, the little things can really add up to big changes. Taking away a single decision to prepping a tedious task can have last affects on your mode for hours, and even days. Don’t think you have 5 minutes? Remember how much we could get done during commercial breaks when we were little? There were days I did all of my homework only during the commercial breaks! Below are easy changes to make that take 5 minutes or less a day. Try one or all. Try a different one each day. Just try one for me, ok?
5 Minute Life-Changing Habits
- Timed clean up with the kids (or not) – Turn on a timer, pick up everything you can see as long as it runs, then stop when the timer runs out. Don’t worry about doing anything else. One of the biggest problems in my home is the constant mess caused by the five of us. Years ago Ty and I started “3 Minute Cleanup”. We turn on the 3 minute toy kitchen timer and we all pick up and put away any and all things we see until the timer goes off. The boys focus on the playroom or their rooms, and we go through the rest of the house. Then we’re done; everything else gets left out unless we feel like doing more. It took about a week, and our house suddenly looked so much cleaner. The clutter level ebbs and flows, but overall our house is cleaner. It also is teaching the boys how to clean up after themselves every day.
- Laundry prep – Gather a load of laundry and put it in the washer at night before bed. Don’t turn it on (unless you have a remote start washer where you can set it to be done around breakfast. Then when you get up you can push a button and have started your chore list! Laundry is the bane of my existence. We run around 14 load of laundry a week with all the clothes, bed sheets, and bath towels. I love getting a load started in the morning because it feels so productive, but gathering everything is so tedious. So to combat the procrastination, I gather a load every night. and feel accomplished in the morning!
- Wipe surfaces – At the end of the day, wipe down the kitchen counters. Don’t worry about any piles of dishes, or mail, or anything else (you’ll be getting to reducing it soon enough if you stay with me). Use your favorite cleaner, and wipe down any surface you can see.
- Make the bed – Seriously, make your bed. It takes just 2 minutes to pull the covers up and fluff the pillows. Nothing fancy; you don’t need to add all the fancy pillows or have the throw blanket be placed just picture-perfect. Just have it made. You will feel so good sliding into a made bed.
- Dust one room – Take a dust rag and wipe down every flat surface, picture frame, and lamp you can see in one room. Don’t worry if there’s clutter (again, you’ll be fixing that soon!); dust the clutter. If the inspiration hits you to put stuff away, do it.
- Make a list – Sit down and make a list of everything you need to do. Pour out everything floating around in your head. It doesn’t matter if things aren’t pretty, or if it’s a huge list. Getting everything on to paper will reduce the stress of having everything floating in your head. After everything is written down, box the few that need to be done today. That’s your list for the day. Start with the boxed items, and don’t do anything else until they are done.
- Pick out your clothes at night – After you’ve finished your night routine, spend 3 minutes picking out your clothes for tomorrow. Lay them out on a chair or hang them in a separate place in your closest. Making this decision and taking this action now will save you time in the morning and start your day out easier for one less decision point.
And The Point Is…?
Taking 5 minutes can break you out of a routine that isn’t working, and can save you time later. Start by trying one of the option above. Or try something you’ve been thinking about for awhile. The point is, try something new that will make life easier or provide motivation to continue finding more time. Do you have any time or sanity saving tips that take 5 minutes or less? Leave them below!