I Followed the '3-30' Rule, and It Went Better Than Expected
In an ideal world, I reshuffle my plan for taking care of household responsibilities before the kids are home all day every day once school's out in the summer. But I had no chance at all to do that this year. Instead, I found myself barely staying above water when it came to routine tasks like cooking, laundry, and keeping the living room presentable (read: not making me break out in hives from the rumpled pillows and strewn-around socks).
And I'm not one of those people who can completely let everything go and stay content because there are more important things to do than keeping the kitchen floor spotless. For me, in order to be present and enjoy the summertime with my kids, I need our surroundings to be picked-up and peaceful. So I needed a workable solution, and fast, before 'Overwhelmed Mom' showed up to spoil our carefree summer days. Then I came across the 3-30 rule on Instagram, shared by Rylie Jasmine, and I knew it could be the answer I was looking for.
The 3-30 rule entails completing household tasks in three sets of 30 minutes throughout the day. The key to the method is its prescriptiveness: Unlike the 5×5 method, which is super effective when you need to wrest order back into a house that's gotten out of hand, the 3-30 rule calls for three distinct times every day dedicated to housework. However, the amount of time spent on chores is finite.
Thirty-minute blocks ensure both that the time pressure makes you efficient and that you aren't compelled to let household tasks bleed into time that should be spent on what matters most (which I feel most poignantly during fleeting summer days).
I decided to implement the method immediately — and it went even better than expected. Within a few days, I felt like I'd been able to catch up on spaces that had been neglected (like the coat closet and the garage that had become hotspots for summer clutter like sunscreen, goggles, and towels). Additionally, I was surprised by how much I could get done in each 30-minute chunk of time. But the real beauty of the method, one which I couldn't have anticipated until trying it out myself, was how useful it was to not be told exactly what I needed to do during my housework times.
Now, normally, I would rather know what I was supposed to do. Having a routine or a checklist cuts down drastically on decision fatigue, leaving plenty of energy left over for actually accomplishing the tasks. But in this case, when our days are topsy-turvy, throwing myself into whatever needs to be done in the moment is perfect.
For instance, one day I spent a 30-minute block re-setting our garage workout space so the older kids would be more inclined to use it (and I was rewarded with a text from my teen son saying he 'loved the garage.') Another day, I watered my plants during one of my housework times and then straightened up our bedroom after a whirlwind of packing. The flexibility of the 3-30 rule works so much in my favor during this season. I also discovered how much I can get done around the house in a total of an hour and a half every day. Not only was I able to keep up with most of my daily chores, but I was also able to address some small projects around the house, such as decluttering our laundry room items and deep cleaning everyone's water bottles. Overall, the 3-30 rule has been a resounding success. It's an approach I'm personally likely to put into practice anytime our days are unpredictable, but it's also a solid choice as a permanent household routine.
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