Make It a 15-Minute Day
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Struggling to get anything done? Try this 15-minute cleaning hack. Don’t limit it to cleaning. Set a timer for everything on your to-do list and get stuff done!
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There are loads of tricks out there in the homemaking world about how to get the biggest ROI and how to be the most productive, tips on how to avoid time sucks or unplug. The homemaker’s biggest enemy just might be distraction.
If all you did in a day was your to-do list, you might actually get it done. Instead, there’s life to live: people to speak with, feeds to scroll, messages to answer, and on and on.
The distractions may be very good things: children you don’t want to ignore and a husband who loves you and wants to spend time with you.
The distractions might also be stupid things like what did Taylor wear to her wedding and what is going on with the princess.
Either way, we need to focus, people! Focus. 👏
My suggestion?
Make it a 15-Minute Day
You’ve likely heard about the 15-minute clean. Set a timer and get busy. If all you do is that 15-minutes of effort, you’ll have done some good.
I’m taking that concept of the 15-minute clean and ratcheting it up. To 11.
11 times 15.
Why not break your day into 15-minute bursts of energy? I did this recently and was surprised at the results. Not only did I get a lot of stuff done — distractions included — but I got a whole new understanding of how long things really take.
Did you know that stripping the bed, putting on new sheets, and smoothing the coverlet in a fancy way only takes 7 minutes?
Or how about slicing three sourdough boules on a food slicer, wrapping them to freeze, and hauling them to the deep freeze? Also 7 minutes.
Setting the timer is a revolutionary way to put things in perspective and get things done. Going forward I may be less likely to procrastinate when I know I can do something very quickly.
Try this productivity hack!
Here’s how I approached my 15-minute day. Let me know what you do to finesse the process!
- Do a brain dump. Write a to-do list of all the things that you need to tackle. What needs doing?
- Get a timer. You’ve likely got one on your phone or watch; I used Alexa since I have one in most rooms of my house.
- Choose a task and set the timer. Chances are very good that your task will take less than the 15 minutes. If it does, then you can either allow a distraction or move to the next thing on your list.
- Proceed through your list, crossing things off as you go. You’ll be amazed at what you accomplish. I know I was!
In 2 1/2 hours, I changed the bedding, ran a load of towels, sliced bread, cleaned out a freezer, swept the floor, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, did some research for my husband, started lunch, and dealt with an unplanned ant invasion.
Take the power of the 15-minute clean to new levels!
Homemaking Tricks I Love
What do you think?
I’d be honored if you chimed in the comments section. What do you think?
This post was originally published on December 7, 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.
This falls under the category of being so simple it’s crazy that it wasn’t thought of sooner. I’ve learned I can fold a load of laundry in about the amount of time it takes to listen to one song. I can put away the hand-wash dishes from the night before while my cocoa is warming. The 4 step process for my oral care takes maybe 4 minutes. Add one more for applying face and neck cream.
When you said do it 11 times a day, it sounds like you’re suggesting one 15 minute focused work session for 11 hours of the day? I can totally do that!
I think you can make up whatever combination of 15-minute blocks you like. I was specifically doing 11 blocks that got a lot done in a few hours.
15 minutes for the win! I love getting things done this way. Thanks for the reminder.
Looking forward to hearing how it works for you!
Prioritizing makes me feel overwhelmed for me. I like the idea of identifying pressure points.
Great idea! Though I fear I would just fill up those laundry baskets and hide them in another room..LOL
🙂
We do what we call a 15 minute Tidy here and you would be amazed how much gets done with 7 people (ok, more like 4 1/2 people). The house almost always looks AWESOME after just 15 mins of us all pulling together!
Amy
I love the 15 minute blitz and do them often. We usually have at least 2 daily, right before nap time and bedtime. I love waking up to a tidy home! You can join in at Organized Everyday every Friday for Blitz-It Friday.
What a great strategy!!
This is exactly what I do, too, but I set my timer for 5 minutes per room.