Happiness in less then a minute

A friend recommended a book, the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Actually, she heard the intent of my blog and asked if I had read the book. It sounded very similar to my goal of improving myself and my being. Well, I had not read the book, much less heard of it. Once mentioned, I went to my local book store and purchased a copy. The author has made a resolution of becoming happier in all aspects of life. Work, family, leisure, etc. One of her personal goals was that if she could accomplish something in one minute or less, not to put it of, but to do it NOW.

This stuck with me. I find myself more often then not, putting off things. Whether it is putting away the laundry, throwing away my wrappers, filing papers, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to do it now, so I put it off until later. This way of thinking has led to years of getting frustrated with clutter, having to pick up my “messes”, etc. It has let to cranky moods, the hubby being upset by my lack of enthusiasm to clean, etc.

Could it be as simple as doing something NOW that takes less then one minute? I mean, come on. One minute is not that much time. What could you possibly get done in one minute that would have any kind of impact? I immediately put this into effect for every thing in my life….replacing the T.P., putting my shoes away, throwing the ridiculous amount of advertisements that come in the mail away instead of letting them pile up on the counter because I “might” look at them later, load the dishes in the dish washer, etc.

Can I tell you how amazing this has been? This has TOTALLY reduced the amount of clutter we get, the amount of time we spend cleaning up items, and kept us a little more sane. I put my blow dryer and make up away after getting ready instead of leaving it out for tomorrow. This makes my bathroom look SOOO much nicer, making me feel better because it looks clean and pretty! The items I set aside for recycling….well, they make it into the recycling bin that night. The items that I set on my desk because I don’t know what to do with them…they find a home….the right home.

It is kind of amazing how keeping on top of small tasks can lead to eliminating some tasks all together. I find myself walking by an item or task, thinking in my mind, “I could do that in less then a minute”. I turn myself around and put the item away or complete the task. Even just walking into the kitchen and not having ANY dishes on the counter because I have taken the time to put them in the dishwasher gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.

So, it seems, even the smallest of things can have amazing impacts. Give it a try. See how it feels. It only takes a minute ;) You can learn more about the Happiness Project at www.happiness-project.com