Use an alarm clock or a timer. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish in just one hour. I’ve read this tip in magazines a lot but just recently put it to the test. As much as I wanted to enjoy a hiatus from chores during the past week’s vacation, I still had to unpack a lot of boxes from our move and declutter our living room. So I got my cell phone, set the timer for one hour and got to work.
Things I accomplished within the hour:
1) Unpacked three boxes and put the unpacked items in their proper place.
2) Decluttered the kitchen.
3) Decluttered the living room.
I think I got a little bit competitive with myself because I finished all that in 45 minutes! I wanted to beat the alarm. So with the extra 15 minutes, surfaces were wiped and dishes in the sink were washed. And then the rest of the day was spent the way vacations are to be enjoyed.
Do what you can in an hour and enjoy the rest of the day. The results are guaranteed to surprise you, as long as you stay focused on your cleaning for one hour. If your hour is up and you still are in the mood to clean, by all means, go for it. Your home will certainly appreciate the extra neatness.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
lady cess
April 9, 2007 at 3:03 pm (17 years ago)i use a timer too when i clean the house. pero 15 minutes per room lang, at may rest period ako na 5-10 minutes in between rooms . got the tip from flylady.net
Kay
April 9, 2007 at 5:05 pm (17 years ago)This is what I did today! So cool … I decluttered and fixed all my runaway ballpens (all 134 of them) and pentel pens and scissors and my scrapboking stuff. That was a lot. It took me over 2 hours though but I sure have a nice spic and span room.
And a table where I can actually work.
Junnie
April 9, 2007 at 8:35 pm (17 years ago)i love doing this even when i was young. i never left the house without fixing my room (that meant 2-5 minutes of fixing up) and now even with our own house, I couldnt go out for lunch if the bedroom is still not tidy. with an ok sized house, 1- hr is too long as long as you focus yourself in things to do (Weekends are for heavier stuff like vacuuming, that takes 1 hr too
but i love the pressure of having a timer ticking beside me. this tip will be best for competitive people like you
Joey
April 9, 2007 at 9:27 pm (17 years ago)Hahaha – yes – that’s why most people procrastinate. We can do things in less than half the time if we put our minds into it……HAPPY EASTER!!!!!
Christianne
April 9, 2007 at 10:36 pm (17 years ago)Great tip! You do get a lot done in an hour.
lady cess, I signed up for that flylady site… but I kept getting emails reminding me how to clean my house and it just drove me nuts, so I unsubscribed 😀
rach
April 10, 2007 at 2:45 am (17 years ago)What a timely advice. I need to free our home from unwanted clutter. I have been procrastinating about it. Maybe I’ll heed your advice to give me some inspiration and motivation.
evi
April 10, 2007 at 4:14 am (17 years ago)perhaps i can use this when i fold the clothes or clean the bathroom coz it takes me forever to do these chores. thanks for the tip!
romela
April 10, 2007 at 4:41 pm (17 years ago)You can also list the cleaning tasks to do beforehand so you can better strategize how to use up that 1-hour. Great tip! I’ve been putting aside cleaning in my own room. I guess all it takes is to beat the clock!
smarie
April 10, 2007 at 11:33 pm (17 years ago)having ADD makes it difficult for me to stay on track, and to finish whatever it is i’ve started. so now, i’ll try this “alarm clock” method. LOL! pero, 30mins max per chore only pls! haha 😉
Lynn
April 11, 2007 at 12:37 am (17 years ago)This is also a great way to exercise! Must try this.
watson
April 13, 2007 at 8:08 pm (17 years ago)I wonder if that will work on me too… masubukan nga one time. I usually just have the radio on and like listening to a lot of talking. It puts my mind off the chore. hehehe
Toni
April 16, 2007 at 11:34 am (17 years ago)watson: Ginawa ko rin yan dati. Pinatugtog ko yun soundtrack ng Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Effective!
Toni
April 16, 2007 at 6:59 pm (17 years ago)Lynn: Yeah! Clean your home and exercise in one hour.
Hitting two birds with one stone. Or is it cleaning the windows and toning your arms with just one sponge?
Sheila: Okay rin ang 30 mins. Medyo ma-ADD din ako! Hindi ako nakakaconcentrate sa isang room lang. Kaya naman pagkatapos ng isang oras eh parang pagod na pagod ako. Paano, paligoy ligoy sa mga kwarto, hindi nagcoconcentrate, haha!
romzkee: You’re right! Preparing a cleaning battle plan will help you make the most of that hour. Another helpful strategy is to bring your bucket of cleaning goods with you everywhere you go. Have one basket of your wipes, spray, rags, etc. and just bring them from room to room.
Toni
April 16, 2007 at 7:26 pm (17 years ago)evi: Let me know how it goes!
rach: Cleaning the home can be really overwhelming, that is why I like doing it on short spurts. One hour today, another hour tomorrow. I may not get as much done in one day, but a little goes a long way. And I can do other things during the day like hanging out with my husband, playing computer games or… blogging!
Christianne: I signed up for flylady before too! And like you I got bugged by the numerous reminders on cleaning so I unsubscribed. Haha. Pressure!
Joey: One hour a day is better than nothing!!! 😀 Hope your Easter was great!
Junnie: Wow! Your parents trained you well, Junnie.
Kay: Good for you!
momicess: Okay rin ang 15 minutes per room! Medyo mahaba nga naman ang 1 hour for a room unless sa palasyo ka nakatira. I meant 1 hour for the home pala, hehe.
watson
April 16, 2007 at 7:31 pm (17 years ago)Toni, I tried the 1 hour trick sa office namin last Saturday. I decided it’s time to remove the excess papers cluttering my cabinets and table. Medyo naba-blank ako… should I keep this paper or not? My hour passed by and I only finished 25% of the work. Baka mas effective sya at home where de-cluttering doesn’t mean you accidentally throw away proposals and contracts.
Toni
April 17, 2007 at 10:27 am (17 years ago)watson: At least your mindset was to declutter! 25% is better than nothing. And you are right, it is less cerebral when applied at home because of all the important documents. Siguro sa work dapat we set 10 minutes a day, before going home, to declutter. Para mabilis lang, at para makauwi kaagad. At least over time, our desks become less cluttered. Not right away, but eventually. 😉 Subukan ko nga yan mamaya. Salamat sa inspiration!
chinita_jill
April 18, 2007 at 11:28 pm (17 years ago)this is such a cool tip. i’m so OC with cleaning, that sometimes, the afternoon has passed already, and i’m still moping! hahahaha. nerdox in cleaning. will try this tip this weekend.
and, i wonder where else you can apply this tip? hmmm…
Toni
April 19, 2007 at 8:47 am (17 years ago)jill: And… you’re back! Where’ve you been all this time? Oh that tip can also be applied to managing your blogging time. Seriously. It doesn’t work as much for me though. Practice makes perfect. 😉