Lunchtime rolled around quickly today.
I was feeling incredibly lazy in the kitchen and decided a smoothie for lunch would be simple, delicious and filling.
I made myself a banana protein smoothie by blending 1.5 bananas, vanilla protein powder, milk and vanilla Greek yogurt.
I also had two of Cathy’s maple pecan cookies that I received in the mail through The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.
She was awfully generous with the pecans in the cookies. Win!
Now let’s talk clutter!
If It Only Takes a Minute…
Certain books make me feel like I need to bust out a highlighter and a little notebook and jot down important takeaways so I don’t forget them once I finish reading.
The Happiness Project is one of those books.
Though I’ll be posting my full review on my blog on December 4, this book has motivated me in many ways and encouraged me to look closely at the sources of happiness and unhappiness in my life.
In the beginning of the book, the author focuses on boosting her energy and realizes that household disorder is a big energy drain in her life.
She sets out to tackle the clutter in her life and implemented a “one-minute rule” where she would not postpone any task that took her less than one minute.
Wash that dish.
File those documents.
Put away that jacket.
All of these tasks are quite menial yet when they pile up and create clutter they can start to weigh on us. It sounds so incredibly simplistic, but I started applying the one-minute rule to my life a couple of weeks ago and must admit it has had a pretty big impact on the overall organization in my life.
Instead of throwing my breakfast bowl into the sink to deal with later, I wash it when I’m done eating. Less than a minute! Instead of telling myself I’ll email an invoice to a freelance client later, I do now. Less than a minute!
Another method the author imposed for addressing clutter was the 10-minute evening clean up. Every night before bed, she took 10 minutes to do simple tidying and said it made her mornings feel more serene and pleasant. I haven’t done this myself, but I really like the idea, though I must say I’d probably have to do the 10-minute post-dinner tidy up since cleaning right before bed sounds pretty miserable to me.
Question of the Afternoon
- Does clutter or household disorder bother you or can you easily overlook it?
- How do you tackle the clutter in your life?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I just read Happier at Home, and I loved it! I definitely need to go back and read her first book. I clean a lot on Mondays (what I should be doing right now – haha), and try to keep up the rest of the week by doing the minimum. I also am reading a book called Home Comforts right now. It’s old-fashioned, but so good!
I really loved the book when I read it last year. SO many great ideas to implement in all areas of your life!
I go through cycles with clutter. I let it kind of build up to the point where it makes me crazy, then I go on a huge cleaning-spree. 😉 Lately I’ve been trying to focus on a quick “tidy up” routine every night before bed. It makes a HUGE difference waking up to a (semi) clean house.
I cannot stand clutter! I can’t study, cook or do anything but organize and clean if clutter is around!
Bleh, I hate clutter. I have a mild case of OCD so I’m never cluttered or else I can’t do anything else. Those cookies look awesome! SO thick and delicious.
There are two things I took away from that book (well, more than two, but the main two) and those are: – The One Minute Rule and – Don’t Expect Gold Stars.
I hate clutter, but I don’t hate it so much that it doesn’t happen. Usually, I can look past it for about a day and then I go crazy! So I follow Gretchen’s 1-minute rule since I read that book, and also I set aside 5 minutes every morning before I leave for work to de clutter as much as possible. I don’t HAVE to get everything clean (that would be setting myself up for failure), but I have to spend the whole 5 minutes de-cluttering (or until I’m satisfied). It ALWAYS makes me feel better, and it’s always nice to come home to a clean(er) house.
I have to admit that I am not a neat/organized person – but I present myself well, am dependable, and consider myself pretty successful (so far), so I don’t mind! It does drive my OCD husband CRAZY though – but he will never wash his cereal bowl, so whatever.
I call ideas like this before and after kids. Before my kids I would have thought wow these are great ideas! Now I have two kids ages 5&2 I spend my life cleaning, picking up and tidying. There are few activities that take less than a minute. Maybe coats? Everything else is done early Am or late pm because no matter how hard you try cleaning up during the day it is destroyed 5 minutes later. I’ve taught my oldest to pick up but the little one is another story! Maybe when my kids are grown I’ll have a clean house again?! Wishful thinking 🙂
I so understand and agree with this statement!! The only time my house is organized and picked up is first thing in the morning before my kids have had a chance to destroy it!!
I do a 10 minute clean up every night before bed. I do it in conjunction with setting the coffee machine for a morning brew and making my lunch. It just makes me feel so much better when I wake up and I have a clean kitchen to step into.
I’ve been trying to complete little assignments to start my day for the last 6 months or so. The biggest one is making sure to make the bed every day. If I make the bed, I know I have accomplished at least one small task every day, and when I come home from work, even if I’ve had the most horrible day ever, I know that the nice made up bed was at least something I crossed up my to do list. As silly as it sounds, it helps when I get home after a long day.
I do the ten minute clean up before bed every night too… put the dogs toys away, put the dishes in the sink in the dishwasher, anything I can really do that I know I would have to do in the morning anyways. It makes waking up a lot easier when you walk out to a nice picked up living room or kitchen.
That’s a great practice to follow since all those acts don’t take that long to do. Every morning after I run, I cool down by drinking some ice cold water or Powerade and I stand at my sink doing my dishes from the night before. It helps me relax, cool down, listen to some music (still with my headphones on!) and get something done before I can shower and make my breakfast in a clean kitchen. It’s the little things that really make a difference.
This is a great idea, the clutter in my apartment drives me crazy! 10 min would make a big difference
Love hearing about The Happiness Project! I’ve seen a couple of others’ reviews over it, and I’m quite intrigued to read it. As far as clutter – I am the queen of clean. Clutter makes me miserable and annoys me to no end. I would say I do implement the “less than one minute” rule most of the time. I also do a nightly pick up before I go to bed. It’s funny you mention that that doesn’t sound like fun before bed, and truthfully, it stresses me out. Maybe I’ll consider moving my pick up time to earlier so I’m not stressed going to bed.
Here’s a blog a wrote a while back about cleaning that captures more of these thoughts: http://freeingimperfections.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-cleaning-perfectionist.html
I’ve mentioned before that I LOVE to organize. Everything has its place in my house. My closet is color coordinated, my pantry has like foods grouped together, even my tupperware is organized. I have two teenagers, a husband and a puppy that are all a little out of my control. I think that is why I like my house to be so organized. It gives me that relaxed feeling of having control over the situation. I could go on and on about how to maintain clutter, but here are a few of the easy ones.
1. Go through your mail as soon as you get it out of the mailbox. I stand over the recycling bin and toss all the junk before I even take it in the house. Then I put the bills on my desk in a little organizer to be paid every Monday. Magazines go in the magazine rack by the sofa.
2. When the dryer buzzer sounds, make a beeline to it. If you can fold and hang up your stuff as soon as the cycle ends, you won’t have a giant pile of clothes to deal with later. I send out my husbands shirts, so I never need to iron because things don’t sit around and get wrinkled. Saves so much of my time and reduces the clutter in the laundry room.
3. Close your kids bedroom doors. They should have to deal with their own clutter. Not me!
I loved that book so much. Clutter drives me crazy…and I cannot relax if things need to be picked up, washed, unpacked, put away, etc. My husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Would love advice from others who have helped friends/family to be less cluttered…he gets upset when I ask him to donate or give things away 🙁
I just convinced hubs to go thru our coat closets ( yes – we each have our own small coat closets) between the two of us – we donate 12 coats/jackets. I got hubs on board by saying, “you don’t wear this / this doesn’t fit, and someone could actually BENEFIT from this instead of hanging in our closet. ” Worked like a charm!
I really, really do not like clutter!!! I feel like I send my life cleaning and organizing and with two kids at home, it all seems like such a waste of my time. I am actually trying to let go of my “OCD” type personality a bit because it has done nothing but cause anxiety for me.
However, I do tidy up every night before bed because there is nothing better than waking up to a nice, organized house…especially knowing it is not going to last long!!
I downloaded “The Happiness Project” on Audible and I listen to it on my long runs! I always find myself nodding my head and thinking about how TRUE her research and experiences are. I also said that I needed to actually buy the hard copy of the book so I could highlight all the good points she makes! Such anamazing book.
Oh gosh…clutter drives me crazy! It took a long time to adjust to my husband’s messy habits when I moved in with him two years ago!
Great tips! I have started washing my dishes right away, but it definitely helps that my roommate is SUPER neat and I don’t want to bother her with my mess. The 10 minute clean up sounds so smart, and I know it would help me feel less stressed in the morning.
less than a minute – what an excellent idea – although i agree with you – more of a 10 min post dinner clean up – then relax. Cleaning before bed would not be good for me either !
OMG I need this book in my life like today! I’m always getting overwhelmed when clutter and disorganization starts to build in my house! Tackling each little task seems so much more manageable than looking it as one big chore! Thanks so much for the great review! I am definitely ordering this today!
clutter and dirt bothers me! I am crazy with cleaning things, I can’t stand when things are out of order and need dishes done like the second dinner is over and it drives my boyfriend crazy because when I cook, he cleans!
I try to stay on top of the clutter at home by doing something similar to the 10 minute clean up. And while I’m usually pretty good at keeping up with my routine, on the days I’m not, I don’t stress about it. I find that when I stress out about clutter, more of it appears!
Looking forward to your review of this book! Clutter and a dirty house stress me out – especially in the mornings. I hate waking up to try and make breakfast in a dirty kitchen or get dressed with my clothes all over the floor. I often use the 10-minute rule in the kitchen when I really don’t feel like doing dishes. I tell myself to commit to just 10 mins. Often I’ll end up finishing because I get motivated once I started, and if not the 10 mins does cut down on most of the mess. I also try to do one chore a day – sweeping or cleaning counters/mirrors or vacuuming,etc. – so I don’t wake up Saturday morning with an entire house to clean.
It does only take “a minute” yet sometimes is tough to convince ourselves to do! I have “Happiness Project” on my reading list. I need to snag it. I despise leaving dirty dishes in the sink! It makes coming home after a day of work so much more peaceful if things are in their places 😉
I’ve never read this book, but it sounds amazing. I already follow the 10 minute tidying up rule, though it may or may not take 10 minutes, I can’t stand leaving myself a mess for the next day. In our house I’m sure to straighten the living room, make sure the dishes are clean and put away (We don’t have a dish washer, so leaving dishes in the sink only makes them harder to wash) and I wipe down the bathroom every night. It’s so nice to wake up in the morning to a clean house, or at least a put away house.
I REALLY wanted to join this months book club because I REALLY want to read The Happiness Project but since I was so busy studying for my NASM exam, I completely forgot. I’m looking forward to reading your review and now that my test is over (and I passed!), heading to the library to get a copy. It may be a necessity in my life right now. 😉
I can get a little crazy about clutter. I just don’t like a lot of stuff laying around where it shouldn’t be. My room is pretty organized, and I don’t care what my roommates do to their own rooms, but I like the common areas being cleaned up. They’re used to my neat-freakiness haha
I hate clutter! I get rid of everything! Your smoothie looked yummy!
Household disorder and clutter definitely bothers me. I deal with it by cleaning up after myself (and my husband, if he’s tired from work) right away. My mom used to say that we should keep the house neat enough that, if someone were to stop by unannounced, it would not be embarrassing, haha.
Yes! I have been loving The Happiness Project and can not wait for a more in-depth review/discussion! I have been trying to actively employ many of her suggestions including the one-minute rule and the “ten minute clean sweep” (as my husband and I call it) and we each tackle a different area. It has made a noticeable difference in the amount of clutter and clutter buildup. We’ve also been more conscious of things going back to their place instead of letting stuff pile up on the table or counter top. We’ve yet to find a lasting solution for laundry build-up though!
I can’t fully relax if my house isn’t at least picked up or in some sort of order, so I implement this strategy a lot. I usually set the kitchen timer for how long I think it will take me to complete a task (unloading the dishwasher is say 4 minutes) and then I try to beat the clock. It turns the job into a game. Mary Poppins would be so proud.
I’ve been reading The Happiness Project Blog for years, but I’ve just started reading the book. I’m in March right now and am loving it!
I looooooooooved that book! It was a total highlighter one for me too.. so many great nuggets of wisdom and it really made me sit down and think. Happiness really is the most important thing, I think.
I am HORRIBLE about putting jackets away! They usually end up over a dining room chair. Even though I don’t take 10 minutes every night to tidy the house, I do take 10-15 minutes to get my gym clothes and work clothes laid out, get a small pan on the stove to cook my eggs, put out a plate, coffee mug, water glass & utensils. If I did it all at 4am, it would take 30 minutes to find the egg pan! 😉
I agree with you on needing a highlighter and notepad while reading! I orignially purchased the audible version, but have since had to go back and purchase a hard copy. This book is full of helpful ideas and one that I can see referring back to for a very long time. My plan is to come up with my own happiness project and implement it starting in January. The 10 minute clean-up before bed will definitely be part of the plan.
Lately my husband and I have tried to daily chore approach as well as the quick 10 minute clean up. We are the king and queen of “I’ll do it later” and it has really helped around our house.
By the way, I am a newbie here and Love you site! I am also taking your advise and venturing into wordpress from blogger. Wish me luck! 🙂
I’m absolutely horrible when it comes to dealing with clutter, and I think most of it is due to the fact that knowing so many things are piling up really starts to weigh on me and make me start to freak out that I won’t be able to get everything done. So yeah, the one-minute rule is a pretty big thing around these parts.
I loved this book and have had many takeaways that I try to incorporate into my daily life. One being the pick up 10 minutes before bed. It is usually just picking up in the family room – folding the blankets we were using while watching TV and putting my throw pillows back nicely. It really helps! I also try to never go to bed with dishes in my sink. I hate to wake up with dishes! Like another post read, another BIG takeaway for me was not looking for gold stars – or in another interpretation – not keeping score. Mostly with my husband – who bathed the kids, who washed the dishes, etc…I just do it when it needs to be done and by not complaining to him, it really brightens my outlook! Incredible book. I need to get her 2nd – Happier at Home.
I totally do night time clean-up.I am so used to it now that even when I am tired and blow it off I end up suffering for it the next day which motivates me not to leave it again. It really doesn’t make a big difference to how I start my day.
i love the Thick Gobstopper Bicband!
I HAVE to make my bed everyday. Otherwise my room appears in disarray. Beds are more comfortable to sleep in after they’ve been made right?
Fuschia mini sparkle! So fun!!!
I hate clutter – i can’t have my dishes sitting out on the table for more than a few minutes after dinner without getting a little bit antsy. This book sounds right up my alley! I am looking forward to your full review.
I JUST started the Happiness Project and love it so far. I’m excited to see what other incredible ideas she comes up with. I love that she simplifies the act of cleaning up clutter by doing a little each day. It really helps to relieve that overwhelming feeling that sometimes comes with cleaning and sorting through piles of stuff!
If I won the BIC headband, I would pick the sparkly ones! I love me some sparkles, especially when I run!!
These BIC Bands are wicked cute! I have really thick/shiny hair so I am always looking for new headbands that will actually stay in place! The Big Bling Sparkle Emerald Green sure is an eye catcher. I’d love to get that one, and the Big Bling Sparkle Fuschia Hot Pink for my sister. We are workout buddies and this could be a fun addition 🙂
I have never heard of the BIC bands until I saw you posting about them on your blog. The would be PERFECT for working out! I would love to try one…like you, I am a sucker for anything sparkly. So much so I am made fun of for it. I think the Big Bling Sparkle Fuschia Hot Pink would be so much fun to wear. Anything for motivation, right? 🙂
I love the Big Bling Sparkle ones! 🙂
I a hate clutter in my life but I feel like I have a lot of it! Sometimes I just put off putting things away for no reason…. I try to not let it build up but sometimes I can’t help it… Trying to work on that!!
I have been searching for the best headband to wear while working out!! Love my bangs, but not in my face while running! The blue sparkly band is adorable!!
I hate clutter!! I never thought of cleaning up little things in the “one minute” way, but it sounds great! I will definitely be implementing that into my daily routine. Sometimes I think clutter gets so overwhelming that it’s just easier to put it all off. I do way better with accomplishing tasks when I take them step by step. The one minute approach seems like it will also help eliminate a lot of the mess in the first place. Sounds like a really great book! 🙂