During the week, it can become complicated to carry out all the household tasks while alternating with other work and personal tasks. Whether after work or completing a pending errand, cleaning the house always tends to take a back seat on the to-do list.
Despite this, not all household tasks take as much time as you think, so maintaining good organization can prevent the accumulation of dirt or messy areas altogether. In this way, it is important to pay attention to the duration of each assignment to be aware of the time it could take to complete each task.
The two-minute rule – known as the two-minute rule in English -, coined by author David Allen in his book Getting Things Done (GTD), is an organization method that allows you to organize household tasks, maximizing the time spent on each of them.
Allen suggests that if a task can be done in less than two minutes, it should be done immediately rather than procrastinating. This procedure is not useful for complex tasks, but it does avoid the accumulation of small tasks, which can be solved simply, but can take a long time to solve together if they are left pending.
Knowing which occupations take the least time can be essential to organizing a complete and efficient home cleaning. These are four examples in which to apply the two-minute rule.
Store shoes in their place
It is common that, after arriving home, the first thing you think about is lying down and resting. However, taking off your shoes and leaving your shoes lying on the floor is one of those small tasks that can be solved in less than two minutes.
In this way, according to David Allen’s method, it is advisable to put your shoes in their place as soon as you get home, before sitting down to rest. This will not only allow you to keep your home clean and tidy, but will also make it easier to find the footwear in question easily whenever you need it.
Put dirty clothes in the wash
One of the most frequent mistakes made by most people when they get home is leaving dirty clothes on any surface, such as a chair or the floor, instead of throwing them in the laundry basket. This not only promotes the accumulation of clothes, but it can encourage the accumulation of bacteria or the appearance of stains.
Therefore, the two-minute rule indicates that it is advisable to put your clothes – if they are dirty – in the hamper as soon as you take them off when you get home. In addition, this quick habit also allows you to keep areas clearer and better distinguish between which clothes to wash when doing laundry.
Clear the dishes from the table after a meal
Another of the tasks that accumulates the most due to lack of time at home is clearing the table after a meal. Leaving dirty dishes where you have eaten has several negative consequences, since it proliferates the appearance of bacteria and bad odors and complicates subsequent cleaning.
It is advisable to apply the optimization method to reduce these factors as much as possible. Group as many dishes and cutlery as possible and place them in the sink or dishwasher as soon as you have finished eating to prevent food debris from accumulating.
Furthermore, once collected, it is advisable to clean any crumbs or food remains that may have stuck to the table. This task will not take you more than two minutes and will allow you to have a clear space to accomplish any other task that requires it.
Leave the TV remote control and the living room cushions in their place.
After a stay in the living room or living room, it is likely that none of the cushions or blankets that have been used will be collected and that the television remote control will be hidden between armchairs, in an inconspicuous area. Completing these tasks will not take more than a few minutes and doing so will significantly contribute to maintaining order in the home.
Therefore, once the television is turned off, place the remote control in an area where it is easily found, such as a table or the armrest of the sofa. Also, place each cushion in its place and fold the blankets – and store them in a drawer or basket if necessary. This way, the space will be more pleasant the next time you visit and you will avoid the frustration of not finding the remote control when you want to turn on any device.
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