OK, this challenge will be a perfectionist’s nightmare, but necessary. Carrie and I were talking about how hard it is to start something when you know you can’t finish it. So things are often left to pile up and get overwhelming.

For me, this is housework. I just don’t want to if I can’t finish. But if I just spent 10 minutes a day, I would have a clean house. At least a cleaner house. It’s really amazing how much you can do in 10 minutes.

So, what is your dreaded, or overwhelming task? Post it here, and lets try for 2 weeks to get just 10 minutes a day towards that task. Oh, the hard part? After 10 minutes, you have to stop. Just walk away. Nope, not even a little longer. Set the timer, and when it beeps, you are done. Period.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have 10 minutes of housework to do.

Bree

Task accomplished, well, mostly. My timer went off and I stopped, it was hard, but I got more done than I would’ve if I wasn’t doing the challenge.

Bree

Let us see my basement is a nightmere, we just keep pilling stuff up and pilling stuff up.  Man if we ever had a flood down there we would be in big trouble.  So 10 minutes a day, not sure how much I would get down, but if nothing is started soon… So I will pledge ten minutes a day to that. 

Scooby

It took me awhile to decide on one of the MANY things I should do but here it is-

Putting clothes away.

I live alone and they are all through the house, so 10 minutes a day to fold/hang up and put were they belong (where I will hopefully look for them).

Exception-clothes out of the dryer-This is a habit I want to start-Out of the dryer, fold/hang up and put right away (Don’t throw on the washer/dryer or in the spare room or on a chair).

I missed my goal today. Thought about doing it, but never actually made myself. I’ll do better tomorrow.

Bree

Friday

Did a little bit more the 10 minutes (but less than 15)-GOAL MET

Saturday

Once again did a little bit more the 10 minutes (but less than 15)-GOAL MET

Great job, Muscles!

Bree

So, what is your dreaded, or overwhelming task?

Mine is dusting. I’m lucky if I do it 2x per year. I get everything else done except for that. I’m going to dust for 10 minutes a day. I love the setting the timer idea! I’ll have no problem stopping and walking away. I really loathe dusting!

Thanks, Bree!  I love it!  Now, the question is, which do I pick?  Dishes? Laundry? Picking up?  See, for me it has to be very specific like that.

Okay, I’ll go general- 10 minutes of doing SOMETHING to improve the condition of the house, be it one of the above or something else.

Sunday

10 minutes-GOAL MET

Kept looking at the timer- 10 minutes seemed so long today

How is everyone else doing?

Hi M,
I officially start today since I read this post for the first time and responded so late at night yesterday. So tonight I will do 10 minutes of dusting and I’m going to start in the area with the most chachki’s that I can’t stand doing.

Oooooo Bree, this is a good one.  Well, I’m not sure I can commit to it yet, but I really want to give it a try, maybe in a little bit.  I’m in the process of trying to get a little, ok a lot, more organized and better at time management.  But where I could really see this 10 minute challenge come into play is with paperwork and bills at the house.  Just 10 minutes a day could really make things much easier in the long run.  Hmmm, let me think about this.

Liz, that’s what you should do, the paperwork crap.

Sunday—failed

Monday—10 minutes of handwashing the dishes that don’t go into the dishwasher. Woohoo!

Bree

Monday night: dusting complete.
Even went over an extra 5 minutes just to finish the whole shelf.
Tonight I do the matching shelf. I really need to get rid of these dust collecting chachki’s!!!! 

I love this idea!  My 10 minutes will be dedicated to housework also - but only the housework I dread doing....  The tasks I procrastinate on that start out being a small thing, but make you feel so much better when done.

Today - I will take the back off my drier and vacuum out all the lint - something I’ve been meaning to do for a very long time.  And - I know I can do it in 10 minutes!

How is every one doing?  I forget to post since I don’t see it with new posts.

Monday

10 minutes-GOAL MET

Tuesday

10 minutes-GOAL MET

Wednesday

10 minutes-GOAL MET

I wasn’t able to meet my goal yesterday. 
I left my house at 7:30AM and didn’t get home until 11:45PM. I went straight to bed. There is always tonight though! 

I’ve been doing terrible on my 10-minute goal.  Wow, crazy, huh? And here I am usually the one recommending the 10-minute thing… oops I’ll get right on it, and probably do 30 minutes to make up for the last three days

Hi, I am just reading this post now, so I will start today. I will plan to attack ‘hot spots’--(piled up papers, messy kids room, etc) for 10 minutes a day starting today.

Sharon

I got my 10 minutes of dusting completed yesterday. It’s really not so bad when you do it like this! By the end of next week I’ll have dome the whole house - and then have to start all over again!