10 Minutes to Tidy
If it hasn’t been made clear yet, I am someone who gets easily overwhelmed. This is why I started this blog. I want a tidy home, but I’m also not someone who this comes naturally. Sometimes I feel like I have to remind myself to put things away because I just don’t think about it.
So, when I am overwhelmed by the size of a whole house that needs tidying, that’s enough to make a lot of people freeze in place. The antidote to overwhelm is action. That’s why I get out my phone, and set the timer for 10 minutes.
You can do almost anything in 10 minutes.
It’s not a matter of done, but a matter of doing
While 10 minutes may not get a task done, it at least gets it closer to done. Am I right?
In my 10-minute tidying, I can usually get the following done:
Dishes put away.
Dishes put into the dishwasher
Occasionally I might be able to still have time left over to take out the trash or clean the countertops, but usually my baseline for 10 minutes get the super basic task of dishes and sink done.
If that’s all I get done, that’s still enough to make me feel reasonably tidy.
Repeat the 10 with intermittent cleaning
My other go-to when I feel energized enough to tackle more tasks is to employ intermittent cleaning (or interval cleaning). This is where I pull up an app on my phone called the Tabata Timer, and I set:
10 minutes for tidying
15 minutes rest
Number of sets I want to do (maybe 4, which will be 40 minutes of tidying in total)
You can adjust your intervals and sets to whatever strikes your fancy. For those days you’re less energized, maybe it’s 5 minutes on and you do 3 sets.
I love doing this because it feels good! I feel like I’m getting something done, but I’m not forcing myself to do it the way I think I’m supposed to. Because honestly, IT’S FUN!!
Tips and tricks
If you find you’re just not feeling up to 10 minutes or more but you want to do something, here are some ideas I’ve found help me:
Pick up 10 things.
Do 1- or 2-minute tidying with a 20-minute rest
Something is always better than nothing
I’ve found that if I can get myself to do something, even if it’s pick up 10 things, after a few days my energy comes back and I’m ready to do more. So, if you find yourself in an energetic slump, just know it’s not forever. We all have our low days. And like I said, tidying does not come easy to me, so it may not come easy to you either.
In which case, maybe some of my tips and tricks can help you too. After all, we’re trying to build habits, and that can take time. So, take care and give yourself some room to breathe and grow.
PHOTO CREDITS: All images sourced from unsplash.com