If you’ve ever put off doing the dishes, changing your sheets, or cleaning out the fridge because you think it’s going to take forever — this post is for you.
The real problem? Our brains are big drama queens when it comes to time. But I’ve got a fun fix that will trick your brain, boost your motivation, and get your home clean in record time.
Welcome to my game show-style experiment: “How Long Does It Actually Take?” 🎉
Parkinson’s Law: The Productivity Secret You’re Not Using
Let’s start with the real MVP of this concept: Parkinson’s Law.
Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
Translation? If you think a task will take an hour, it will. But if you only give yourself 10 minutes, you’ll probably get it done in 10.
We tested this idea — with real chores and a timer!
Game Rules: How to Play “How Long Does It Actually Take?”
Wanna play along at home? Here’s how:
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Pick a chore you’ve been avoiding.
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Guess how long you think it will take.
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Set a timer.
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Race to finish it before the timer goes off.
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Marvel at your own efficiency.
Let’s jump into the results!
1. The Dreaded Dishes
🕒 Estimated: 15–20 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 8 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 3 minutes, 14 seconds
I fully expected this to take forever. I had to unload the dishwasher, reload it, and handwash some pots. But once I started racing the clock? Boom. Done in just over 3 minutes.
Key takeaway: When you move with urgency, you move faster — and smarter.
2. Dusting (Swiffer for the Win)
🕒 Estimated: 10–15 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 2 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 1 minute, 40 seconds
Swiffer duster in hand, I zipped through furniture, legs, crevices — even tickled a few pumpkins. And it took less than two minutes. Why have I been avoiding this?
3. Sorting the Mountain of Laundry
🕒 Estimated: 30 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 16 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 12 minutes, 49 seconds
I had laundry for the whole family. Usually, I’d convince myself I need a solid 30–40 minutes. But with only 17 minutes before a live video, I sprinted through it. Sorted everyone’s piles, matched socks (ugh), and even put my own away. Victory!
4. Cleaning Out the Fridge
🕒 Estimated: 1 hour
🎯 My Goal: 10 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 12 minutes
Okay, this one almost beat me. I scrubbed drawers, tossed expired chili, and wiped shelves. Went a little over my guess, but still — it took way less time than expected.
Moral: Even “big” chores aren’t as long as your brain makes them out to be.
5. Mopping the Entire Basement
🕒 Estimated: 15–20 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 9 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 4 minutes
With my trusty spray mop, I crushed this one. Living room, office, gym — all mopped in under 5 minutes. If you’re still hauling around a bucket, I promise: spray mops are life-changing.
6. Deep-Cleaning the Bathroom
🕒 Estimated: 15 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 12 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 8 minutes, 21 seconds
Mirrors, toilet, and the dreaded glass shower — cleaned and conquered in under 9 minutes. Spray-and-walk-away cleaner helped big time. (Just don’t mix bleach and ammonia unless you want to pass out. Please.)
7. Washing Windows (Yes, Really)
🕒 Estimated: 45 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 17 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 11 minutes
This one blew my mind. I cleaned every window I could reach in 11 minutes — and I used to think this was a whole Saturday-level job. Nope. One good rinse and scrub = sparkling results.
8. Meal Prepping for the Week
👫 Team Effort: Me + Joe
🎯 Goal: 20 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 19 minutes, 53 seconds
Joe crushed this one! We prepped five days of lunches for a family of five in under 20 minutes. Teamwork + focus = a fridge full of food and no stress at mealtimes.
9. Changing the Sheets (Duvet Included 😩)
🕒 Estimated: Who even knows, it’s awful
🎯 My Goal: 6 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 7 minutes, 45 seconds
Who invented duvet covers? They are the worst. Still, even with the blanket-in-a-blanket meltdown, the whole bed was fresh and made in under 8 minutes.
10. Cleaning Out the Car
🕒 Estimated: 15 minutes
🎯 My Goal: 5 minutes
⏱ Actual Time: 4 minutes
Trash out, wipes in hand, surfaces sparkling. I even found a mini skateboard (because of course I did). It felt amazing — and only took 4 minutes. Why do I avoid this again?
The 3 Ps to Beat Procrastination
This whole experiment proved something BIG — and it boils down to the 3 Ps:
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Problem = Procrastination. You dread it, so you delay it.
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Principle = Parkinson’s Law. The task expands to fill the time you give it.
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Promise = You can get more done in less time — if you try.
Don’t just read this, actually give it a try!
Pick a task you’ve been avoiding. Guess how long it’ll take. Then cut that time in half and set a timer. See what happens.
Most of our resistance to cleaning and organizing isn’t about the task — it’s about how long we think it will take. But when we shrink the time, the task shrinks too. That’s the magic of Parkinson’s Law.
So go ahead — beat the clock. Play the game.
And win yourself a clean and tidy home ✨
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