The Two-Minute Clean-up ⏲

CLUTTER VS. THE 2-MINUTE CLEAN UP

"Do you have two minutes to spare?"

A well-known wise guy named Albert Einstein, you might have heard of him, was once asked to explain his theory of relativity in simple terms. He said:

"When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it’s only a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it’s two hours. That’s relativity."

Many individuals, especially those with ADHD, can relate (pun intended) to this statement.

ADHDers are naturally drawn to things that interest us— some tasks spark dopamine rewards and activate our hyper focus, allowing us to go on for hours immersed in our activities.

However, there's a downside.

Sometimes, we end up creating a mess.

To us, it's the collateral damage of our productivity.

Mess WILL happen, but we are not the only ones affected.

The aftermath of this hurricane has many victims.

At the end of our inspiration, we are often left with little energy to pick up the pieces.

Thus, the doom pile grows, and resentment builds among our friends, family, colleagues, and partners caught in the wake.

So the question is: "Do you have two minutes to spare?"

THE 2-MINUTE CLEAN UP

For many of us, especially those with ADHD, a big mess can be overwhelming and trigger avoidance. The doom pile grows, and we struggle to address the problem, leading to guilt and reduced productivity.

But what if we took that big mess (or doom pile) and broke it down into smaller, more manageable pieces in under two minutes?

We often underestimate the magnitude of what can be achieved in two minutes.

Starting a timer and spending a brief period tidying up is not a big ask.

It's a small step that can lead to a more minor, manageable mess.

What does this mean?

Let's put it into action. Gather all the cups, bowls, forks, and other random things in various parts of your home. Place them next to each other in or near the sink. Do you wash them at this time? No, because that will take more than two minutes, and you’re on a timer, baby! But doing this makes doing the dishes much less daunting because everything that needs to be washed has been collected to complete that task successfully.

What else can you grab? The clock is ticking!

Yesterday’s socks on the floor?

Put them in the hamper.

An array of papers strewn across your desk?

Consolidate them into a neat pile.

We will sort those out soon, but we are addressing the visual clutter so our minds can feel at ease.

Time is up, and two minutes have flown by. But now, your space is a little less cluttered and more organized.

Rinse and repeat as needed.

The power of two minutes is incredible.

The two-minute rule can be applied to anything worth doing. Two minutes of action is infinitely better than inaction.

The 2-minute rule can catalyze significant positive changes in one’s life.

The daunting part of beginning any task is just that, beginning.

Yet, we all have two minutes to spare.

So, what will you do in two minutes?"