The 20 Minute Rule

Author : Jordan Pearce
Before you hire an organizer you still need to organize before they show up!Do you have a pile of papers in one corner and another pile of something else in another room of the house?Don't pay an organizer to clean for you, they organize. Once they know what you want to keep and what to throw out, only then can they come in and do their job.The first thing they will tell you is to purge anyway. So save your money on purging and call them in when you are done.20 Minutes a RoomEven the most unmotivated and the busiest of people can invest 20 minutes to devote to clutter or just about anything else.Think about other skills that you practice: learning to play a musical instrument, singing, balancing a check book, writing, enjoying a book, writing thank you cards, memorizing facts for a quiz, exercising...all in 20 minutes a day.It only takes me 20 minutes to clean my entire kitchen, a sink full of dishes included! Okay it's a small kitchen (same with the bathroom) but knowing it takes little time is more encouraging then having the mindset that it will take forever.When I really, really don't feel like cleaning I use a timer and set it for 20 minutes. If it were a larger endeavor if I didn't want to continue after 20 minutes, I could walk away if I wished. Plenty was done in that short time slot and the progress is better than it was before!One Thing at a TimeThis rule has literally changed my life! The world will have you running around thinking you have to be super person and multi-task to no end.Multi-tasks done in bad form:*Doing almost anything while talking on a cell phone.Examples: having lunch with a friend, on a date or a job interview! While driving a car or standing in line.*Surfing the web and trying to cook at the same time. Yes, I'm guilty. Can you say charcoal?*Watching TV while having a conversation with someone on the phone or in the room.*Having your kids do their homework while their friends are hanging around.*Over booking or trying to squeeze in last minute errands when you know you have somewhere important to be at a certain time.Now you can see where it is more useful to cook your food before or after you read or write while online. You will not starve! When you were younger did you find it productive to do homework while watching TV? Of course you could try to justify it. I'm sure you don't think your kids are quite as capable right?These are just some common examples. Not only is multi-tasking unproductive it can be irritating to other people as well. Think of some times where you were annoyed by someone multi-tasking.20 Minutes to Make a To-Do-ListThat's all it takes to decide what your priorities are for the day. I learned to make a routine watching the Supernanny. She makes out a schedule to give the family a framework to go by. You don't need to have kids to benefit from a routine. Who couldn't use more structure in their lives?How long do you think it will take to map out an effective routine? Not long. 20 minutes or so...Look at your day as is and fill in the time slots; 7am wake up/shower, 7:30 coffee/breakfast, 8am leave for work, etc.After breakfast while enjoying your coffee can you squeeze in and make out a to-do-list? Look at your schedule, maybe you need to make your list the night before.How do you work or do a to-do-list? Don't think this is a silly question, some people don't know.What do you need to do for the day that does not fit into your routine? List at least five things you need to do, finish them then cross them off the list. If you don't do all of them on that day, carry them over to the next. It's that easy and that is the secret of successful people. Looking at the priorities for the day, accomplishing them and then crossing them off the list.See how easy that is?What does a to-do-list have to with 20 minutes?Looking at what needs to be done it may only take 20 minutes or less to mail important documents or packages, take a walk, make a phone call to the bank, read a section of a manual that you need to learn something from, and back to our original point 20 minutes to take care of some much un-needed clutter.The nice thing about the 20 minute rule is you only have to do 20 minutes and then you are done. If you are overly ambitious or find that you are into the flow of things keep going either another 20 minutes, until you don't feel like doing it anymore or until the task is done!It only took me 20 minutes to write this article. I think I got a lot done!Summary:-Most daunting tasks only require 20 minutes of work.-If they take more time break them up to either doing them the next day or later in the day.-Buy a timer to do at least the required 20 minutes of any task, especially if you are not looking forward to it.-Look at your day as is to see what kind of time you have available to you.-Start making to-do-list so you know when and where you have 20 minutes to spare.-List your top five priorities, accomplish them and cross them off the list.-If you need more time to finish some tasks on your list, carry them over the the next. Repeat steps 2 and 3.-DO ONE THING AT A TIME.Clean Freaks Home & Office Cleaning started in the Seattle area three years ago. The author and owner had a crash course in business, time management and cleaning! Please see our site http://www.cleanfreaks.biz for information on websites for small cleaning companies, advertising and consulting.
Keyword : house cleaning business,organizing,self help,home improvement,clutter,home based business,how to