We all have good days and bad days. On a bad day, we might not feel like attacking the household chores, or doing much of anything depending on our mood. Other days, maybe we can do a little more of the things that keep order – the laundry, taking out the rubbish, filing away important mail, etc. Other times, we might feel like tidying is the only thing we can do – if we’re putting off another important task, for example.
Either way, there’s a system that helps bring balance and order to your home, even when you’re stuck in the depths of a depressive episode. I call it the 10-minute tidy.
Pretty self-explanatory: I used the timer on my phone, set to 10 minutes. Whichever room I’m in, that’s where I start. I pick something up, take it to where it’s supposed to be, and there – whichever room it is – I’ll look for something else. Straighten the bedsheets. File some paperwork. Shove clothes in the wash basket. Take a bin out. Whatever’s needed. Then, when the timer goes, I stop. Everything else, that’s tomorrow’s job.
On good days, you might not find that much to do. On bad days, you always have the relief that it’s just 10 minutes. It might not look much different after one attempt, but a few days of 10-minute bursts can make a lot of difference. These days, my home is pretty tidy, for a bloke living on his own, and it's down to this technique. I’m planning on keeping it that way.
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