An earlier version of this article was published December 15, 2006
Of all the habits I’ve written about and tested over the years, the one-minute rule is the one people bring up most. I think it resonates because it’s so simple. There’s nothing to set up, no planning needed; you just do it.
What is the one-minute rule?
If a task can be done in one minute or less, do it now — immediately, without delay.
Hang up your coat. Put the dish in the dishwasher. Reply to the quick text. File the piece of paper. Toss the empty box. Don’t add these tasks to a list or schedule them for later. If they take a minute or less, you handle them the moment you encounter them.
This is an easy, effective rule—but it must be followed consistently if you want to see results.
For me, because the tasks are so quick, it isn’t too hard to make myself follow the rule—but it has big results. Keeping all those small, nagging tasks under control makes me more serene, less overwhelmed.
When people ask me for happiness rules or tips, I often suggest the “one-minute rule,” because it’s very easy to implement. Several people have made a point of telling me how helpful they have found it.
One friend told me that her apartment went from being a wreck to being quite tidy, without much effort on her part. Another friend said that his productivity had shot up; because he got so many little things got done quickly, he had much more time for the bigger tasks.
One nice thing about the “one-minute rule” is that I don’t have to think about priorities. When I stop to think, “Should I tidy up the kitchen or pay bills?” or “Should I answer emails or review my calendar?” I sometimes end up feeling that whatever I’m doing is the wrong thing.
But with the “one-minute rule,” I do anything that presents itself, right away, as long as I can do it in a minute.
Why the one-minute rule works
Most disorder doesn’t come from a single big failure — it comes from dozens of small deferred decisions.
When you set your jacket on a chair instead of hanging it up, it doesn’t feel like a big deal. But if the same thing happens with a pile of mail on the counter, or an overwhelming inbox, the mental weight of all those undone things accumulates into a sense of chaos.
With the one-minute rule, you don’t have to rely on motivation or discipline because you’re removing the decision entirely. There’s no “should I do this now or later?” The rule answers that question for you.
Outer order contributes to inner calm. When our surroundings feel manageable, we feel more in control of our lives generally. The one-minute rule is one of the most reliable ways I know to maintain that sense of control.
The one-minute rule and procrastination
People often discover the one-minute rule when they’re looking for help with procrastination. Whether or not the rule helps them depends on the reason they’re procrastinating.
The one-minute rule won’t help with tasks that are genuinely difficult, emotionally charged, or time-consuming. It’s not a cure for avoidance of hard things. But it does eliminate the low-stakes procrastination that clutters daily life, so you have more energy to tackle the big things.
The post The one-minute rule: A simple habit that keeps life under control appeared first on Gretchen Rubin.
