5 under-5 minute tasks that bring oodles of satisfaction

If you’ve been a little less motivated to do certain things around the home recently, you’re not alone. Between working from home, home-schooling and spending a lot more time indoors, it’s safe to say we have all suffered from a case of the ‘blahs’.

Come on admit it, you know you have. You’ve looked at the messy kitchen and ignored it, sighed at the chaotic living area, but refusing to move from the couch, and just kept the bedroom doors closed some days. On top of everything else right now, the cleaning and organizing tasks keep being relegated to the bottom of the list.

It’s time to get on top of those little chores that have been building up during social isolation. Picture: Ross Campbell

If you want to feel more productive and snap yourself out of the ‘blahs’ (but don’t want to overwhelm yourself with big tasks), then we have five tasks that take under five minutes to get done and will bring you oodles of satisfaction and offer a welcome distraction.

1. Clean prints of the fridge, oven and cabinets

If you want to go from grimy to sparkling clean in a jiffy, commit just five minutes to cleaning hand-prints off the fridge, oven, cabinets and other appliances in the kitchen.

It doesn’t sound like much, but grimy prints really do build up and cleaning them to reveal spic and span surfaces will really make a difference.

Use an all-purpose spray and cloth, or soap and water for a quick once over. Buff over with a clean, dry cloth to remove any leftover residue.

Simply wiping prints off the kitchen will do wonders for making it appear much cleaner. Picture: Unsplash

2. Do a speed fridge clear-out

If you want a job that is hugely satisfying and doesn’t require much effort, you need to do a speed fridge clean-out, pronto! It’s as simple as opening the fridge and binning anything that’s out of date or is looking too sad to consume. Make sure you go through the veg draw and cheeses too.

It’s so cathartic getting rid of things. If time permits, neaten everything up and give the shelves a quick wipe down – you’ll feel productive and proud of yourself too.

3. Fill-a-bin-bag challenge

Donating unwanted items to charity could really help someone at a time like this. Picture: Unsplash

Set a timer for five minutes and walk around the house and fill a bin bag with things you’ve been meaning to get rid of.

If you know that each room will take more than five, then do it one room at a time and take five minutes for each space.

You will then need to sort the items into three categories – 1. Recycle. 2. Charity. 3. Rubbish.

4. Dust your décor items during ad breaks

Whether you spend a few minutes in between ad breaks, or take five between binge-watching episodes on Netflix, commit to spending time dusting décor items around the home during the break.

Dusting in the break will make it feel like you’re not doing housework at all. Picture: Unsplash

From photo frames to vases and from lamps to decorative items, you will barely notice you’re doing a chore and will most certainly be pleased when you walk around your home and notice how dust-free things are.

5. Clear out your purse/wallet/handbag

Have you ever experienced that satisfying feeling of clearing out your wallet, ridding it of all those receipts and rejoicing at how light (and skinny) it feels when you bin all that paper? Ah, so good.

For a super-easy task that can be done in front of the television, when you have a spare five minutes grab your wallet, handbag or even make-up bag and clear it out of old receipts, outdated loyalty cards you don’t use and so on. And clear out old products and rubbish if you’re tackling a make-up bag.

source:realestate.com.au