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An egg timer is surround by other household items - scissors, a screwdriver, a credit card, and a flashlight.

The One Minute Rule

Lately, I realized I was becoming too comfortable in my own skin, my own home, and things that normally would have quickly been done were starting to slowly be piled up. Perhaps because COVID-19  meant I wouldn’t have visitors, things were left out for the next day, the next use, or just because. I thought back to my one minute rule. The term was coined by author Gretchen Rubin in 2006. Her rule is simple: if a task can be completed in one minute or less it should be done immediately, like washing a dish, answering an email, or picking up something off the floor.

Making the one minute rule a habit

It is a great idea and once it becomes habit your house and your mind both become much calmer. Then without realizing it, that one minute becomes 2, then 5. You always know where something is, no stressing over trying to see it, or remember where it was last used and retracing your footsteps. My black utility scissors become invisible on the black kitchen counter, as do my dark-rimmed glasses. It’s time to make that one minute rule a habit again. Not only for stress reduction but also for safety.

Reduces stress

The one minute rule can help in other ways, as well,  We need to do whatever is possible to reduce the stress already caused by having to focus so much energy on what our eyesight allows; what we can and can’t easily see and do anymore. Many of our community members have written how their vision is not as good on a stressful day. Perhaps we should take that one minute to slow down and just breathe.

My insurance renewal paperwork, for example

As I write this I’m looking at insurance renewal paperwork that has been sitting on my table for over a  week. I still have two weeks to renew it, but if it had been done immediately, as was usual before now, my table would be clear. More importantly, I wouldn’t be stressing every time I walk by and notice it; thinking I must remember to do that.

How to start using the one minute rule

Here are a few small suggestions to get started using the one minute rule.

Prepping lighting and font adjustments adhead of timeTake a minute to move your task lamp to the perfect position. Add another few seconds to adjust the room lighting to complement that task light. As task lighting is increased, the ambient light also needs to be increased. Take a minute before working on a document to set up double spacing. And perhaps switch to a bold font.Prepping your wallet before going shoppingBefore going shopping, make sure the credit card you’re going to use is on top. No fumbling to try and see it in with your loyalty cards. If you use cash, separate or fold the denominations ahead of time so you can tell without even looking which is which. It only takes a minute.Mess and stress-free habitsDid you take a few seconds to put the blade cover on that sharp knife? Do you know where your screwdriver is? Even more importantly did you put your flashlight back in its easily accessible spot? Little things like these can help keep our lives mess and stress-free.Do you use the one minute rule?  Or have you devised another way of keeping on top of things that you could share with us?

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This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The MacularDegeneration.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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