Day 8: The "one-minute rule"

In order to increase energy, Gretchen, from The Happiness Project book, has a few ideas.  She mentions exercise and eating right.  She also emphasis the importance of cleaning up clutter around the house.  This should energize you because once the clutter is cleaned up then it isn't nagging at you to clean it up.  Plus, instead of taking several hours every Sunday to clean up, a few short minutes a day of clean up and Sunday's are all yours.  I'm willing to give it a try!

First I cleaned out my closet.  I just donated two big bag fulls of clothes I don't wear anymore.  What a relief!  I am not haunted by the $70 Bandolino shoes I only wore twice and the jeans that are too tight.  Next, I've been following the "one-minute rule."  My boyfriend, Nate, is going to love this one.  I usually leave my plate from breakfast in the sink instead of in the dishwasher, I don't hang up my coat in the coat closet when I come home (my bed seems like the perfect place for it), my opened and unopened mail is left on the kitchen table (the recycle bin is only 4 feet away), there is old food in the fridge that just needs to be dumped...but who has time when I've got to meet my carpooling buddy at 7:15am and I must say hi to Nate when I first walk in the door and then eat etc.  I am hesitant about this rule because will the one minute for my coat, my dishes, my mail and on and on add up to my whole night?!?  Will this make me happier?  At least Nate will be happier and therefore make me happier, right?

I realized that most easy and mindless actions fall under the "one-minute rule."  Instead of cleaning up after I cooked dinner I put the dirty knife I used to cut up the peppers in the dishwasher right away.  Instead of leaving the packaging from the new socks I bought on the kitchen table I threw it away in the trash.  Instead of putting my jeans I wore from the day on the floor I placed them in the hamper.  I even utilized Nate to help me throw away a piece of trash to help me keep up with my one-minute rule while I did something else to keep up with my one-minute rule.  (What are boyfriends for?)  During the process I thought is my whole night going to consist of cleaning up after myself?  It turns out I actually saved time and stress!  By the time 9 pm rolled around everything was already tidied up, I watched an hour of tv, played wii and cooked dinner, I was done for the evening.  Nothing more to do except relax in bed and read (my favorite thing to do).   I am looking forward to keeping up with the "one-minute rule."