Have you ever looked at your "to do" list an been overwhelmed by it? I tend to be paralyzed when faced with a long list and shut down mentally. To combat that, I have started doing what I call my Five Minute Fixes. I will work for 5 minutes on a project and have found that lots of the things on my To Do list take even less time than that. :) This and physically checking those items off my list really help to keep me on track, get things done and not be as overwhelmed by it all.
Here are a few things that I have found I can do in 5 minutes or less:
~cut lettuce from the garden
~get the cut lettuce washed and put away to use later
~start a load of laundry
~fold a load of laundry
~service our hot tub
~get something out of the freezer and started thawing for dinner
~get a batch of bread going in the breadmaker
~cut and file my nails
~paint my nails
~dust a room
~do a quick cleaning on the guest bathroom
~sweep the front outside walkway
~water all the potted plants
~make a nice green or fruit salad
~get potatoes all washed and put in the oven to bake
~sweep the floors
~put away a load of laundry
~get a pot of rice washed and cooking
~scoop out the cat box
~purge the refrigerator of things that got shoved to the back and went bad
~work for 5 minutes on my points programs
~check my account activity at my bank online
~check a store ad online to see who has the best deals for things that I have on my grocery and household list
~load or unload the dishwasher
~shave my legs in the shower
~trim my bangs
~do some facial maintenance ;)
~clean off the dining room table that seems to be the dumping ground for everything
~edit some photos
~pull a few weeds
~play fetch with the dog (he is usually bored with the game within 5 minutes)
~play tag with the cat (yes, my cat and I actually play tag...he is strange) :)
~clean cat and dog fur off the furniture
~wash a few windows
~wash the sliding glass door
~get something going in the slow cooker for dinner
~start some meat marinating
~make a run down to the post office and back (I live a few blocks away from our post office...this is a tiny little town)
~mend an article of clothing
~call and make those appointments we all dread (dentist, doctor, mammogram)
~write a quick note of encouragement
~cut some herbs and get them washed and hung up to dry
~gather up and take out all the trash
So those are a few things that I have found take me 5 minutes of less and help me cross things off my list throughout the day. How about you? What are some things that take you 5 minutes or less that you can cross off your list?
My house is small so doing 5 minute chores makes a lot of difference. I've even applied it to big chores by splitting it up into 5 minute intervals. I do like the sense of scratching things off the list so those 5 minute chores really make me feel like I've accomplished a lot.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, my home is also pretty small and gets cluttered very quickly. My poor front guest bedroom has become the catch all for everything since the pantry and gift closet, along with my sewing area are also in that room.
DeleteWonder why we women always make huge "To Do" lists. lol. I know mine gets overwhelming and I do the same thing. Shut down and do nothing. If I can get myself doing small increments I get things done. Setting my clock for the early a.m. tomorrow to sweep cobwebs off the outside of the house and clean up porches before it gets too hot. Also got all the things gathered to do some touch up paint inside the house tomorrow. Baby steps. :) Hope to accomplish lots in little bits of time tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Good point Crystal! I hope you are able to get all that done. :)
DeleteI like having all those simple 5-minute fixes... that is a great way to break down all the little things that must be done around the house in a day - just another 5 minutes! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks...it really does help me not get overwhelmed and at the end of the day I feel pretty darned proud of myself. ;)
DeleteI have mine as 15 minute fixes. This is when I do the things I really don't like such as the ironing. If I do 15 minutes of ironing I tend to get things done. I can then walk away with a sense of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI used this approach to get my pantry organised. I could address one shelf in 15 minutes. Over a period of a few days I had a cleaned out and organised pantry. Now I need to clean out kitchen cupboards, This will be done in 15 minute intervals. Yep I like doing yukky jobs this way. I can handle 15 minutes of yukky at a time.
Great idea Jane on the 15 minute fixes to handle some of the bigger jobs! I will have to follow your lead on this and work on my pantry which has become a disorganized mess yet again. ;)
DeleteThat's a good list of 5 minute jobs! It's amazing what a lot of things can be done in small amounts of time!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bless!
DeleteThanks Bless!
DeleteA very impressive list of 5 minute jobs! It is surprising what you can get done isn't it!
ReplyDeleteIt really is Amy! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
DeleteIt really is Amy! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
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