The One Minute Rule That Will Change Your Life

Do you ever find yourself buried in a never-ending to-do list? I know I do. I’m constantly making lists and before I know it, I’ve successfully worked myself into a nervous frenzy with a deer-in-headlights reaction. This happened to me earlier today, but then I remembered something I read a long time ago from “Happiness” expert, Gretchen Rubin. She came up with a “One Minute Rule"—a simple trick that has the potential to transform your life.

The rule is this:

I must do any task that can be completed in one minute.

Of course I started thinking about the one minute rule with regards to house chores. Rinse my coffee cup. Clean out receipts in my purse. Hang up my jacket. Read and throw away mail. Make the bed. Pay my credit card bill. Hang up a towel. Put my workout clothes into the laundry basket.

But then, as I was doing said chores, I thought about other things I could accomplish in under 60 seconds that weren’t chores, but would positively affect my life. Send a loving text to my mom. Take deep breaths. Walk outside and stand in the sun. Stretch my neck.

All you need to do is think: Can I finish this in under one minute? If yes, do it. Before you know it, the little things that have been piling up will start shrinking before your eyes.