This is my timer. My Mum bought it for me for my birthday. Normally that would be a pretty crappy gift, right? But this is what I asked for. Why? Because it is the most effective time saving tool known to woman kind!!!
This is another FlyLady thing (who deserves a post all on her own!), and there is a little game that I play sometimes when I really, really need to get a bunch of stuff done, but I’m not feeling the motivation. There is a Facebook page that I belong to, and there I can find tens of thousands of women who are all in the same boat as me. Sometimes we play 7×7 bingo or 6×15 bingo. This is mostly fun playing with others, but you can do it on your own.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say we’re playing 7×7 bingo. We make a list of 7 small tasks around the home that we want to achieve. Maybe it’s bringing in the washing, wiping down the kitchen bench, giving the toilet a scrub or making the beds. When playing with friends someone calls a number, you all set your timers for 7 minutes, then you go and do the task that’s been called (eg. #3, clean bathroom mirror), then come back to the computer when your time is up. Another number is called, and you do that task. It’s like a little race, you don’t feel like you’re alone, and you can knock over 7 household tasks in 49 minutes! I always take the last 11 minutes to sit and pat myself on the back and have a big drink of water. Imagine if you did that once a day … you would have 49 tasks done a week! 6×15 bingo is similar, but you do 6 brackets of 15 minutes. This is for tasks that take a bit longer, like cleaning shower screens, vaccuuming, dusting, decluttering. In 1.5 hours you would have 6 larger tasks completed, and the rest of the day is your own! Get the kids in on the action. You could do this by text or on FB with a friend. I will never forget the day I was lamenting on the FlyLady page that I needed to unpack my dishwasher but didn’t feel like it, and before I knew it I was racing a lady in Sweden to see who could unpack it first! I was struck with the fact that we all need to maintain our homes, everyone in the entire world! So why not get together as a great big community and make it fun?!
I also use the timer to limit kids time on video games and tv, when they are doing a task (only 15 minute bursts when cleaning up bedrooms), and when they are sharing. It also comes in handy for myself when I have a busy day and need to limit my time on the computer (the internet is great, but also a great time waster!). With my sneakers on my feet and my timer set for 7 or 15 minutes, I can do anything!
Do you own a timer? If not, consider your oven timer or your mobile phone. Have you ever tried doing some boring task by racing a timer? Do you fancy a game of 7×7 bingo? Leave a comment below, or share over on the Cake & Enemy Facebook page.
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