updated 03/10/2022
Approximate read time: 2 minutes
You’ve heard the commercial that tells you that 15 minutes can save you 15 percent. I would like to propose that 15 minutes might well be able to save your sanity.
When our kids were growing up the early years were horrible. The house was in a perpetual state of mess. I honestly had no idea how to keep our house in any kind of order.
There had to be a solution!
At some point I landed on what I came to refer to as The 15 Minute Run Through.
Growing up, my kids hated it.
As adults with families of their own…they get it!
The thing is, it works!
The 15 Minute Run Through is a fifteen minute block of time, set aside daily, to stop all activity and clean up the house.
It is an easy, fast way of keeping order in your home.
Following are some strategies that can help make The 15 Minute Run Through work for you.
Decide what time of day works best for you
Because I like to get up to a clean house, The 15 Minute Run Through worked best for me right before the start of the bedtime routine. Everyone is different so the time of day should be based on your family’s unique personal preference. Whatever time you decide, be consistent. As everyone gets used to making this part of their day, you will experience less resistance. (At least in theory.)
Start before everyone is exhausted
The more tired everyone is, the higher the chance of temper tantrums and whining. Especially from the kids! Start well before everyone is too exhausted to participate.
Everyone participates
Word of caution here. Get the buy-in of adult members. No one likes to be ordered to participate in something they didn’t want and about which they don’t care. If you can’t get the other adults in the home to participate, then proceed with the kids. As soon as a child is able to understand a basic sentence, they are able to participate. Do not feel bad about expecting a young child to help. You are teaching great life skills.
Be very specific
Channel your inner drill sergeant and give specific instructions to specific people until the time is up. The youngest participant can understand when you say “put the newspaper in the basket”. Clean your room or clean the bathroom is too generic and everyone has a different perception of what clean is.
Decide what areas of the house on which you want to concentrate
Be realistic. This isn’t about having an immaculate house. The goal is to have the house clean enough. 15 minutes is probably not going to be enough time to hit every single room of the house. Pick the areas that will yield the most peace of mind. For me, that is the main living areas: bathrooms, hallways, living room and dining room.
Resist the temptation to add just a little bit more
After the initial 15 minutes, the temptation will be to push everyone to do just a little bit more. Don’t do it. The understanding was 15 minutes. Stick with it. Having a definite stopping point somehow makes doing an unpleasant task more tolerable.
If you are struggling to keep your house at least somewhat tidy, consider implementing The 15-Minute Run Through.
It’s a little thing that could reap big results.
Just don’t expect your kids to love it!
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