hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about the one minute rule for
getting stuff done now let's begin everyone wants to be productive but you know sometimes
distractions and bad habits they get the best of you but what if you could stimulate
productivity in just one minute what if you could change your mindset and strengthen your
motivation in less than 60 seconds with the one minute rule you can the one minute rule
was invented by author gretchen rubin who wanted to help other people improve their productivity
she realized that most people fall victim to the same strange phenomenon every single
day well just think about your to-do list is it filled with challenging lengthy responsibilities
probably not more than likely it's flooded with quick and easy activities which would only take
a few seconds of your time yet you procrastinate those small chores for as long as possible
you may avoid taking out the trash making phone calls or cleaning up your desk now individually
these chores are far from taxing they demand very little time and almost zero effort but when
a dozen small chores begin to pile up you feel suffocated under a mountain of responsibility
this is where many people experience unnecessary stress just think of each task like one tiny ant
now on its own a single ant is small and insignificant if you found one ant in your bedroom
you'd probably think nothing of it right but what if you found an entire colony of ants suddenly
these tiny creatures become a huge problem and in the same way one small chore seems negligible
but as your chores pile up they become more intimidating and your stress begins to skyrocket
that's where the one minute comes into play this technique is designed to minimize the number of
small responsibilities in your life chances are these small tasks are weighing on you more than
you think but the one minute rule can eliminate that stress from your daily routine and over time
shape a more productive lifestyle now the technique itself is really simple if a chore
takes one minute or less to finish just do it right now not later tonight do it right now not
in five minutes right now you get that right now just stop what you're doing and spend 60 seconds
knocking that shore right off your list now i know it doesn't seem like much does it i mean how can
60 seconds of your time change your life well the one minute rule helps you gain control over your
productivity so when temptation and laziness take over you lose control of your lifestyle you're
pushed around by your own bad habits ah but the one minute rule organizes your responsibilities
improves your work ethic and minimizes the amount of stress in your life it also helps you
manage your time while avoiding procrastination a bad habit many struggle with on a daily basis
so how does it work how does one simple technique have such a huge impact on your life well
think about cleaning your house on any given day you have all kinds of household chores waiting
to be done no matter where you live cleaning your living space is an exhausting activity
there are countless surfaces to clean corners to sweep tops to wipe down but if you think
about it cleaning your house isn't one big chore it's a bunch of small chores blended together
cleaning your entire house could take hours but each individual chore
may take just 30 or 60 seconds of your time now the problem is you let those 60-second chores
pile up you're staring at piles of coffee mugs dirty clothes and trash bags why because you
procrastinated the smallest chores over and over again so something small and insignificant turned
into a major issue the one minute rule stops those small chores from taking over your life
because you're handling each chore as it happens each time you drink a cup of coffee just wash it
and place it in the dishwasher instead of throwing your dirty clothes on the floor spend one minute
putting your clothes in the wash if you take care of your small responsibilities in real time
well those responsibilities will never build up and that stress will never grow and your lifestyle
will stay clutter free now of course housework isn't the only thing that builds up over time just
think about the unread emails in your inbox if you spend 60 seconds checking those emails throughout
the day you can avoid a huge mess down the road the one minute rule applies to the workplace too
often times we find ourselves bogged down by a hundred little responsibilities at work
you've got schedules to change messages to send documents to check and if you're not careful those
responsibilities can pile up creating excess stress and ruining your concentration but the
one minute rule will keep your day moving in the right direction using this technique you can put
out fires as they happen instead of saving them for later and that way you can make space in your
schedule for your most important responsibilities and concentrate on the tasks that matter most
and before you know it the one-minute rule will change your lifestyle it teaches you the power
of bite-sized productivity there's a popular myth that keeps many people from being as productive
as they want to be the myth is that productivity requires hours and hours of your time that you're
only productive when you're taking giant steps in the right direction but productivity comes in
all shapes and sizes it's often the smallest activities that create and develop the most
transformative achievements so how exactly should you incorporate the one-minute rule into your life
well whenever you find yourself avoiding any responsibility ask yourself this how long would
it take to get this done you'd be surprised how rarely we ask ourselves this question
instead we act like every little responsibility is 10 times larger than it really is but if we step
back and think carefully you'll realize that most chores only take about 60 seconds of your time all
right let's do a little experiment shall we i'm going to give you two options and you choose which
one you'd rather do option number one is doing the dishes option number two is doing the dishes for
30 seconds now which one would you rather do most of us would pick the latter even though they're
the exact same activity knowing the duration motivates you to tackle that responsibility
that's the beauty of the one minute rule once you know how little time a chore takes it's
much easier to motivate yourself to be productive as you practice the one minute rule you'll feel
a sense of accomplishment every single time you finish a small task that sense of accomplishment
creates positive momentum and positive momentum will snowball into more and more productivity
you see the hardest part of being productive isn't productivity itself it's that crucial transition
from doing nothing to doing something yeah many of us get lost in that transition you may be unable
to motivate yourself to cross the boundary but using the one minute rule you can easily propel
yourself over this frustrating obstacle and once you start being productive there's a good chance
well that you'll just keep being productive one little chore will turn into two two little chores
will lead into a productive morning or day because it really feels good to be productive doesn't it
come on you feel the stress melting away as you knock task after task off your to-do list
once you start there's a good chance you won't want to stop this kind of productivity doesn't
just relieve stress it also changes your mindset here the one minute rule really sneaks up on you
on the surface the one minute rule is just about organizing your life
about knocking out all the small responsibilities that plague your daily routine but underneath
you'll find a technique that promotes a productive lifestyle it conditions you to confront your
laziness challenge your mental obstacles and accomplish more on a regular basis at the end
of the day the primary enemy of productivity is fear now how do you feel before taking on a new
challenge you may feel a sense of dread anxiety and self-doubt and those worries may push you away
but as you practice the one-minute rule you'll make a habit of rising to the occasion you'll
practice surmounting difficult obstacles taking initiative and overcoming that feeling of fear now
at first the one minute rule may help you finish household chores but over time as those chores
become less and less intimidating you'll adopt a more active role in your work and lifestyle
you're developing a confident and courageous mentality which will influence the way you
chase your goals you may find yourself tackling new opportunities at work unafraid to dive head
first into your responsibilities as you begin to find success with the one minute rule you'll also
discover new healthier ways to encourage yourself and this is something we don't cover nearly
enough especially in relation to productivity self-talk is critical when facing any challenge
no matter the size negative self-talk keeps you from taking out the trash in the same way that
it stops you from pursuing a promotion but the one minute rule fosters a more optimistic inner voice
each time you accomplish something it provides positive reinforcement and that reinforcement
changes the way you view yourself moving forward you may realize how capable you really are you
may feel a little more confident or a little more productive after each accomplishment your
productivity grows and your belief in yourself grows right along with it self-belief is a lot
like your dishes in the sink it starts out small and it builds up gradually each time you take the
more productive path each time you choose not to be lazy you're learning to trust yourself
to have faith in yourself and it all starts with just 60 seconds of your time hey thank you
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