What You Can Do in Five Minutes: Steps to Beat Procrastination

What I've learned about procrastinating is that often, I put off doing something because I think it will take too long. I've found that the opposite is usually true. It's all the little things that add up to a sense of being overwhelmed, but each individual task is often something that can be done in five minutes or less. True, I can't weed my entire garden in under five minutes, but I can weed around my five rose bushes in that time.

Following is a list of tasks, each of which can be finished in five minutes or less. When you're feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities, remind yourself that you can find five minutes here and there and tackle the things you've been putting off!

In the kitchen:

• Empty the dishwasher
• Load the dishwasher
• Take out the trash
• Set up coffee for the next morning
• Pack a lunch for the next day
• Wipe down the counters
• Wipe down the sink
• Sweep
• Clean out old food in the refrigerator
• Wipe out the microwave

In the bedroom(s):

• Make a bed
• Put away dirty clothes
• Put away clean clothes
• Straighten up a nightstand
• Straighten up the top of a dresser

In the bathroom(s):

• Take out the trash
• Wipe down the counters and sink
• Scrub a toilet
• Wash the mirrors

In the family room/den/living room:

• Put away stray toys
• Put away stray books
• Put away stray shoes
• Put away stray _____
• Dust TV/stereo

Outside:

• Sweep the front porch
• Gather up trash in the car
• Put away stray bikes/toys

Other:

• Write an email to a friend just to say hi
• Start a load of laundry
• Clean out purse, wallet
• Pay a few bills
• File a few papers
• Call to make an appointment and add it to your calendar
• Toss old flowers and rinse out the vase
• Sort through the mail and toss the junk mail
• Shake out a few throw rugs
• Gather up library books
• Gather up magazines in one pile
• Swiffer hard surfaces in the house
• Walk through the house with a bag and collect trash
• Start a donation box with old clothes, books, magazine, toys

About The Author: Jennifer Thompson owns and manages DivaTribe (http://www.divatribe.com), a site that offers free journals, message boards, articles, frugal living tips, book reviews, indie shopping and more for smart, creative, courageous women.