The Magic of Fifteen Minutes

Do you know the magic of fifteen minutes? Once you learn it, it’s the most amazing thing in the world. You can change your life in fifteen minutes at a time. Don’t believe me? I dare you to try it and see what happens.

How the magic of 15 minutes changed my life 

When I wanted to get my home in order, my mentor Marla Cilley said, “You can do anything for fifteen minutes, except whine.” I thought that was the dumbest statement I ever heard.

My home and my life were an overwhelming mess.

There was no way cleaning for fifteen minutes was going to change anything.

They say that being able to admit when you're wrong is a sign of emotional maturity, so I am going to happily admit I was completely wrong in thinking 15 minutes per day couldn't make a difference in my home and my life.

Investing 15 minutes per day in my home made a bigger difference than I ever thought it could.

I learned how to take care of my home fifteen minutes at a time, and it changed my life.

The magic is that consistent efforts build momentum, even in as little as 15 minutes, and I know if you're in some sort of chaos that feels impossible, but I'm here to tell you it's not.

You cannot clean your house in fifteen minutes, but you can keep it clean and tidy fifteen minutes at a time.

You cannot get out of financial chaos in 15 minutes, but you can start getting a handle on your finances 15 minutes at a time.

You can't build a business in 15 minutes, but you can make progress working on anything 15 minutes at a time.

How cool is that?

How 15 minutes improved my family’s life

Not only did I get my house in order, but I improved my family life 15 minutes at at time.

I'm not a fan of cleaning, so 15 minutes helped me be consistent and start building momentum.

Then I taught my kids the same concept, and as a team, we changed our lives for the better.

Every day during the summer, we would spend fifteen minutes cleaning our home.

We could vacuum, clean the bathroom, put away toys and do dishes in fifteen minutes and then go do something fun for the day.

Even when we stayed in, we would clean for fifteen and then the kids were free to do what they wanted for the rest of the day.

When we did that, the kids learned to pick up after themselves, so they didn’t have to do another fifteen later in the day.

It really was like magic, and by using a timer, it was like a game of Beat the Clock. 

I kept a timer on each level of our home upstairs, main level and downstairs. 

You can purchase them by clicking here.

Ways to make fifteen minutes work for you 

I especially love the fifteen-minute principle on my most challenging days.

You know the ones.

Those days when your motivation is absent, and your mojo has run away.

Those are the days when fifteen minutes is invaluable.

I grab a timer and spend fifteen minutes looking over my list or making one for the day.

Then, I spend fifteen minutes working on the list.

If it’s a particularly rough day, I’ll spend fifteen minutes working and fifteen minutes resting, looking at social media or reading.

I also listen to music or an audio book if the work is conducive to that.

I am amazed repeatedly at what I can accomplish using those fifteen minutes to focus, even when I take fifteen minutes to play between work sessions.

I even wrote this post and will record a special audio for this post using the 15 minute method, so how cool is that?

Put aside perfection and make progress

The biggest roadblock to the fifteen-minute magic is perfectionism.

People know they cannot finish a task in that time period, so they wait until they have more time.

Unfortunately, that extra time doesn’t always come, or you continue to tell yourself you don't have time and time continues to slip away.

The truth is that perfectionism is the biggest time waster of all, and it's the basis for so much procrastination, and boy do I get pushback when I tell people that.

People think they can't possibly do anything until they can do everything for a task or project, when that couldn't be further from the truth.

By working fifteen minutes at a time, people get more done in less time.

They feel better about themselves and their home than ever.

How do I know this? Because I live it every day.

There are so many projects that get done because I use the power of 15 minutes.

I clear my Sweet Spot in 15 minutes, and you can read more about that here.

How we can help you? 

Is there something that you are putting off because you don’t have the time or because it’s too overwhelming?

Would you be willing to try this method for a week to see how much you accomplish?

If you need help, send an email to [email protected].

We’ll help you set up a schedule that works for you and maybe even work along side you for more incentive.

What if you spend the next month setting a timer and doing the tasks you’ve been procrastinating?

Can you imagine the difference you can make in your life?

I dare you to try it and let me know the result. It changed my life in a positive way, and I know it can do the same for you.

Not sure where to start?

Download our 15 Ways to Improve Your Home in 15 Minutes or Less to help you get started

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At Moving Toward Better, we help people live their best life and let the rest go.

As always, thanks for being you and have a great day.