The Two Minute Drill You Won’t Need a Helmet For
March 30, 2007
Are our routines only for our mornings and evenings? After all, there’s a whole lotta time between those hours. A lot of little chunks of minutes here and there. What do we do with those bits of time?
I have a two-minute drill I do only when it’s cold outside. After I get home from dropping off Child One at school, I make myself a cup of French Vanilla coffee. Yeah, the instant stuff. It’s cheaper than Starbucks and still tastes good.
Anyway, I microwave the water for two measly minutes. But I’ve found something interesting.
In the two minutes it takes my water to heat up, I can clean my kitchen.
My son’s breakfast dishes (plate, silverware, glass), anything left out from late-night snackers (grrr), and anything else that needs tidying up on the counter (cutting boards and knives from cutting up fruit for lunches, potato chip crumbs, and other odds and ends from lunch stuff that couldn’t be done the night before) — all of that usually takes less than two minutes to rinse off, stick in the dishwasher, and wipe down counters.
And we’re not talking a little mess. Crumbs all over the counter. Empty bread bags, apple cores and fruit labels. Plates and forks covered with sticky syrup. Sure doesn’t look like it’ll take only two minutes.
But that’s the fun thing. Sometimes you surprise yourself, because sometimes those jobs that look awful don’t take nearly as long as we think.
Try it the next time you have a few minutes to spare. What task in the room you’re waiting in needs to be done? Even if you don’t finish your two-minute drill before your time is up, the job is now partly done.
And you didn’t need a helmet.
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Comments
10 Responses to “The Two Minute Drill You Won’t Need a Helmet For”
When my daughters were younger, their job was to empty the dishwasher; a task that would generally elicit a chorus of groaning. One day, I timed myself emptying and putting away. Yep, two minutes!
I never thought of it that way. I will have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’ve come to the same sort of conclusion, Christa, but I’m the one doing the grumbling.
) Now I’ve found that I can have my dishwasher emptied in the time it takes to cook my oatmeal (stove-top, quick oats). What I don’t understand is that I still catch myself groaning about it, forgetting that it takes only a few minutes.
Maybe that’s just an old habit, Kerri? I still find my shoulders slumping looking at that messy kitchen. But that’s a good idea.
Cherie, I’m glad it helps. Christa, I’ll have to have my kids time how long it takes them to empty the dishwasher so they won’t grown (as much)!
Okay, so I posted it on the wrong blog … now you get to read it twice! LOL
Sounds like something I need to do more of. You’ve inspired me! I WILL do more of it … I will, I will!
(Is there an echo in here?) :O)
Never fear, Delia! You’re not the first to do that and probably won’t be the last!
What a fabu idea! What do you think of this? A couple of years ago I was involved in a horendous clean-up of a rental house—it was the worst mess you’ve ever seen in your life, needed total renovation. My Mother told me that ANYTHING can be done in an hour. She said, just dive in and tell yourself that you’ll only work for an hour and that’s it. It was so strange that, for the most part, every job seemed to be done in just about an hour, no matter how gross the job. But you know, I really like the 2 minutes better. And now I’m off to go clean my kitchen! Thanks for the tip!
Katie, that’s what I’m doing this afternoon! I’m spending fifteen minutes on each room to get rid of the clutter that’s built up. I’m such a paper packrat!
For those of you with kids, have you tried giving your kids a timer, too? I did it with both of mine and told them they have to spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up their rooms. Amazingly enough, when we stick to that routine (I admit we sometimes forget) their rooms stay clean. Even more amazing? They don’t moan! Even my youngest has realized that 15 minutes is not a lot of time! You could even adjust this for younger kids and have them only do 10 or even 5 minutes of a task. Having their own timers helps them take ownership of the task as well. Give it a try!
Great advice there, Elizabeth!