A 15 Minute Day

One of my favorite web presences is The FlyLady. Her website is filled with great tips and a wonderful system to help get your life more organized, ALL FOR FREE. She is very encouraging, and is constantly reminding people no one is perfect. One of her slogans I have taken to heart is "I can do anything for 15 minutes" - No matter how tired I am, I can usually muster up 15 minutes to clean the house or work on a project. I say USUALLY, because there are times that I look around my house and realize that I haven't done anything for too long. Today was one of those days, so I called up Curly Girl and told her I needed some inspiration (she is also a fan of The FlyLady). She told me to do four 15-minute sessions ( I had 4 hours between church and work) and to report back what I had done. The only rule is that I have to set the timer for 15 minutes and accomplish something during that time. The timer is important, because you know the session will come to an end, and it allows you to remain focused. Curly Girl was at the pumpkin patch with the Gift & the Firecracker (her stepdaughter - born on the Fourth of July), so I texted them to her instead of calling. Here's the list of what I accomplished:

• 1st 15 min: Gathered up all my laundry, Started 1 load of laundry, Straightened up my bathroom, Wiped down the countertops, and Cleaned the mirror.


• 2nd 15 min: Cleaned up the kitchen, Switched wash to the dryer, Started 2nd load of laundry, Threw away b-day flowers, and Did a 27 fling boogie


• 3rd 15 min: Put away 1st load of laundry, Switched 2nd load to the dryer, Start 3rd load of laundry, Shredded a weeks worth of credit card offers, Straightened the living room, and Picked up no less than 10 hair doodads


• 4th 15 min: Started dishwasher, Went through the mail and tossed junk, Cleaned off the dining room table, Hung up laundry from 2nd load that was half dry, and Cleared off my desk

It never ceases to amaze me how much I can get done in 15 minutes. That is why I always set the timer. It becomes a challenge to get as much done as I can in that 15 minutes. And I spent the other 45 minutes reading, catching up on the DVR and vegging out. WOW. I feel so much better.