How much of a day are you awake for? And why can’t you spare yourself 10 minutes? A few thoughts in our mental health spot.
There are 1,440 minutes in a day. The average person is awake for a good 960 of those.
Putting aside standard work or schooling commitments, a lot of us struggle more than we care to admit with doing many daily chores, often for health reasons. These could include cooking, or cleaning, or even basic hygiene. Sometimes it feels too monumental to do the dishes, and the laundry, and prepare multiple meals each day, and shower, or even get dressed.
It was suggested that creating a To-Do List of only small tasks might make people more inclined to complete them. I tried and quickly realised that turning big chores into a million smaller tasks merely succeeded in making the list significantly longer. Throwing away that idea, I grabbed another sheet of paper and wrote ‘Make a To-Do List’… and then I put a line through it; that was my entire list, and it was completed instantly.
As I smirked as my own silly joke, it gave me a little lift, and soon I found myself giving the inside of the bedroom window a basic but long overdue clean. I hadn’t even thought about it, but I did it on a whim. It took 10 minutes. Less than an hour later I had another burst of energy and replaced two blown lightbulbs.
In the past few days I have realised that showering doesn’t have to be a chore – maybe all I need to do is wash my hair. If I have the energy or desire to do more then bonus, but if not I’ll still feel cleaner than I did before stepping into the bathroom.
For a year I had three wedding dresses taking up space (for a future project), and I finally put the dresses into vacuum packs and put them in a drawer out of the way. Last night I saw that had more mugs in the sink than in the cupboard, so I chose two at random and washed them, as well as one bowl, one plate, and a cutlery set of exactly one fork, spoon, and knife. If nothing else, I have what I need to eat and drink for another day. And as for cooking, I have found some nice microwave meals that are filling, tasty, and healthy… and take only a few minutes to heat up, which is perfect for the days when I have no motivation to unleash my inner Gordon Ramsay.
We have this bad habit of over exerting ourselves and prioritising things that often don’t need to be prioritised. As a result, we forget that sometimes we are allowed to do the bare minimum.
So instead of a To-Do List, make a 10-Minute Tasks list. A literal list of small things that are achievable and relevant to you. And on the days when the standard feels like too much, just pick one task to complete as soon as you feel capable. It will take a matter of minutes, but can offer such a sense of achievement or relief to know you actually ‘adulted’ without overdoing it. It may even inspire you to do more, but who cares if not?
It is your life. You’re allowed to search for short cuts and hacks to make things easier.
And what is 10 minutes, in the grand scheme of things? 2-3 songs or a YouTube video? You can enjoy those at the same time as whatever you’re doing.
Today my 10-Minute Task might be washing a couple more dishes, folding the clothes currently on the drying rack, or throwing out a few items of recycling. Who knows? But I’m not overwhelmed by thinking about it.
