I tried the 'game-changing' 30-Second Rule for chores I kept putting off – and it solved my procrastination like magic

It isn’t uncommon for me to put off small tasks to save my ‘spoons’ – a way of describing the finite amount of energy I have as a disabled person living with fatigue and chronic pain.

But that means little chores can pile up and before I know it – the mess makes me feel fed up and overwhelmed, leading to procrastination. That’s why I was intrigued when one of the home experts in a cleaning article I edited here at Homes & Gardens mentioned their 30-Second Rule.

This easy and effective cleaning tip simply states never to put off a job around the house that you can complete in 30 seconds or less. Is there a more low-commitment tidying or cleaning tip? I gave it a whirl and loved how it banished not just the pockets of clutter and dirt around my home, but did away with my propensity for procrastination.

What is the 30-second rule for household chores?

Jenny He, home improvement pro and co-founder of Ergeon says the 30-second rule is a 'game-changer', explaining, ‘If a task takes less than 30 seconds to complete, I do it immediately. Whether it’s putting away a dish or responding to a quick email, these little tasks add up if left unattended. It’s like dealing with a small fence repair right away rather than letting it turn into a bigger issue down the line.'

Here is what happened when I gave the 30-second rule a go around my home.

1. My paperwork got sorted

I had been putting off dealing with the drop zone for our mail. That pile of appointment letters pictured above, right, had become a point of anxiety for me because managing chronic illness and pain is a full time job in itself, but one without a boss to push for overdue tasks. It's easy for these to pile up on you.

However this particular evening, instead of walking past the pile of doom to go upstairs, I stopped for 30 seconds and grabbed the appointment letters I needed to pop into my digital calendar before filing or recycling the letters.

I used my anonymizing stamp from Amazon to hide my personal details before recycling to avoid identify theft – a must when organizing paperwork. I must say, it was a relief to have a better grip on my calendar appointments as well as whittling down my paperwork pile some.

Professional organizer Ashley Hines of Thee Tailored Life says, 'Tackling tasks in small steps rather than letting them pile up can be a game changer. Often, we feel overwhelmed because we let tasks accumulate, when many can be woven into our day-to-day routines.

'For example, folding a small basket of clothes here and there is far less intimidating than facing a mountain of laundry on the weekend. I focus on making my future self grateful by handling things now. I often remind myself, I’ll thank myself later for doing this today.'

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2. My laundry was finally done

Next, when I was putting my daughter to bed, instead of walking past my laundry bin and ignoring the compartment with black clothes that needed dealing with and emptying, I grabbed it and took it downstairs. I loaded it into the washer and wondered why on earth I’d procrastinated and put off washing my dark laundry for the past three days.

Pro organizer Ashley adds, 'This strategy also has roots in a powerful leadership principle I learned in the corporate world: if something takes two minutes or less, it’s best to do it right away. The mental burden of unfinished tasks often far outweighs the time it takes to complete them.'

I must say, using my new 90 liter Joseph Joseph laundry organizer, available on Amazon, was a real game changer and made this task truly possible in 30 seconds as the laundry had pretty much been sorting itself out all week. With the colors already separated, I simply dumped out the items of the pull-out bag dedicated to our dark laundry, popped it in the washer with liquid detergent, and turned it on. Easy peasy!

It’s good to know that failing to separate your colors is a common laundry mistake that’s easily avoidable with a compartmentalized laundry organizer like mine.

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My Joseph Joseph laundry organizer is a game changer, making laundry quicker and easier

My darks were ready for a wash and this was a household task I could complete in 30 seconds

Emptying my dark laundry and loading into the washer was quick and easy

3. I dusted a vital area

Just before getting into bed, I grabbed my essential oil based homemade cleaning spray and wiped down my nightstand and my husband’s with microfiber cloths, available at Walmart.

For the previous few nights, I had noticed the dust on the stand, but only after I'd got into bed and was about to turn my lamp off. After using the 30-second rule to dust before I got into bed, it felt great going to sleep with a clean space where I kept my water and other essentials overnight.

I use a few drops of geranium essential oil from Amazon, a drop of dish soap such as Dawn, available at Walmart, and water to make my own cleaning spray. It makes my bathroom smell like a spa when I use it, too.

My verdict on the 30-second rule for chores

This task rule couldn’t be simpler and the 30 second rule means even for somebody as chronically unwell as me, none of my limited spoons (energy) got zapped – meaning, it wasn’t physically labor intensive, or mentally stressful.

What Jenny said was really right, as doing these 30-second-or-less tasks didn’t snowball into bigger jobs like three loads of laundry in one day, or a massive pile of letters to anonymize and file in one go, or dusting an entire room in one turn.

Ashley says, 'Integrating tasks and habit-stacking like this not only builds efficiency but also creates a rhythm that lets us manage daily responsibilities smoothly. When doing tasks alongside activities like supporting your daughter, this approach can be especially helpful for juggling responsibilities effectively. A little tip to make it enjoyable? Try adding some energizing music to make even routine chores feel more engaging.'

Next, learn how I tried the Didn’t Know decluttering method and sorted out the messiest areas of my home, guilt-free.