The 1-minute Rule

Have you heard of the 1-minute rule?

The 1-minute rule is attributed to Gretchen Rubin and says If a task can be completed in one minute or less, it should be done immediately.

This rule is a guiding principle in everything I do, and honestly, it should be the guiding principle for any business out there. 

Far too often we as humans find ourselves feeling stuck and overwhelmed. As achievers and doers in the western world, we make long to-do lists. We exert a lot of energy on the things we want to get done. The problem with this is that none of us is superhuman. 

Nope, you are not the exception! Superhumans do not exist, and time is a finite entity.  I promise you can not add hours to the day, there are 24, that's it. (Unless maybe you want to deconstruct the social construct of time, but let's save that for some scholars and another day.)

For our purposes, there are 24 hours a day, and hopefully at least 1/3 of them you are sleeping. That leaves you with about 16 hours to eat, exercise, socialize and work. But if you are like me I'm going to guess you have a to-do list that is a mile long and you know a chunk of it will get pushed off till tomorrow. That thought along can be overwhelming. For some that overwhelm can be debilitating or for others it is the kick the rear they need, most of us will land a little in both categories. 

Why follow the rule?

Queue the 1-minute rule, the rule that is gonna keep you from the debilitating overwhelm and keep you moving during the day. 

As new tasks show themselves during the day ask yourself how long will this take me, that is the deciding factor of whether or not it goes on the to-do list. If it is gonna take less than a minute don't write it down just get it done. 

Example: You get an email from a friend asking you if you can meet on Friday for lunch. It takes about 10 seconds to open your calendar, look at Friday at 11, and then hit reply and type yes or no. If I don't do that and I add it to my to-do list for later, then I'm creating 2 pain points... 1) I've now added to the number of emails I need to reply to, and this one might not seem as important, and 2) It's going to be a mental load until it is done wondering if I have the time. 

Set the timer...

The more you do it the more the 1-minute rule will just become second nature. But every habit has to start somewhere. So right now pull out your to-do list. I mean it, right now! Go get it! The purpose of this is to learn to do what you can now and not put it off, so go get your list and before you finish reading this we are going to mark at least 3 things off the list. 

I'll wait.

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Ok got your list? Good! Now identify at least 3 things on your list that will take 1 minute to finish.

Here are some suggestions if they all look really long...

• Email your mom, friend, spouse, etc.
• Pay a bill
• Add postage to the stack of mail waiting to go out
• Wash your lunch plate
• Clear trash off your desk
• Make your Bed
• Reply to a text
• Clean the crumbs off your laptop
• Clear your desktop, nightstand, countertop, kitchen table, etc.

Ok now that you have identified a few things set a 5-minute timer and go cross off those 3-5 things. Then come back, I'll wait again. 

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Time!

How did it go? Were you able to get some things marked off? How do you feel? I hope you feel accomplished! I'd love for you to comment below with the things you were able to get done.

Make it a Habit...

It takes 30 days to make a habit. For the next few set yourself a time each day to set the timer and do at least 3 things you've been putting off that would take you less than a minute. And then I challenge you as you go through your day practice pausing before you add it to the list and ask your self will this take less than a minute? If so get it done!