Caroline Buchanan - The 15 Minute Rule

This book actually started with a 15-minute commitment. I was about to tackle one of my ghastliest chores of the year my tax return. Like most people, I loathe paperwork and the anxiety attached to this particular task was hideous. I would have done pretty much anything to avoid it. Pairing socks was always a good one my husbands, my daughters, mine, all lying at the bottom of the ironing basket, which was where Id left them until I had nothing better to do than to sort them out.

At times like this, all kinds of jobs suddenly seemed vital but sock pairing was definitely in the top ten, as was washing the kitchen floor, making sure I hadnt thrown away anything important, making that telephone call to the friend Ive been meaning to call for ages, or phoning the gas man for a service. These things need to be done! Theyre important! Well, yes, they are, but theyre not going to help you get the tax return done.

Procrastination, though, just makes the thought of the job that much worse; it starts assuming nightmare proportions. All the dreaded What ifs? start creeping in: What if I cant do my tax? What if I cant get it done on time? What if Im fined? What if I cant pay it? What if I get sent to prison? What will happen to my family if Im locked up? How will I cope with jail? Will the uniform suit me? Oh, yes, our imaginations can run riot, round and round and hither and thither when anxiety takes over.

So how did I solve the tax-return problem? I couldnt keep ignoring it and hoping it would go away forever. I didnt have a choice, and decided to give it just 15 minutes. Anything would be a start. But when? The deadline was fast approaching. It would have to be today. Well maybe tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow would be good.

And guess what? Tomorrow came and was suddenly today, and I couldnt put it off any longer.

All the procrastination had given me a rotten headache. It was 10 a.m. I took a couple of painkillers and decided to start at 2 p.m. I felt a tiny bit of relief once Id set the time for action but the headache didnt budge. There was so much to do and I knew I really should be getting on with it. So, I decided to bring it forward an hour and finally it was time for lift-off.

Surprise, surprise, it was much easier than Id thought it would be. By the time I had pulled together a few relevant bits of information and set up and dated the document I was done for the day. I felt peaceful. My headache had vanished. My anxiety had plummeted. I had my perspective back! I also had my energy back. At this rate I knew Id have it finished by the end of the week it was only Tuesday and a few more 15-minute sessions would see the job through.

As the week progressed I found the subsequent 15-minute sessions were a lot easier to start than the first one. Because I had already begun I no longer had the head-banging, screaming frustrations of trying to locate all the relevant pieces of paper that you need for a tax return. They were already in place. The second 15 minutes was beautifully straightforward the feeling of being overwhelmed had completely disappeared. The third 15 minutes was a breeze and the final 15 minutes saw the job checked and completed.

I felt wonderfully relieved, and Ive found it much easier to do my tax return ever since. Im not saying its my favourite job in the world but its so much more manageable than it ever was. It still has the potential to irritate me but I know I can nip it in the bud by going back to my Rule and spending just 15 minutes on getting the process started.

Those first 15 minutes are for laying the vital foundation stone which is the beginning of the end of the horrible task. Indeed, with some jobs, one session of 15 minutes may turn out to be all you need to complete the whole thing.

To get us started, heres an inspiring quotation from the author Thomas Carlyle. Its worth writing out, pinning up or placing it somewhere obvious so that you can refer to it regularly.

Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.

Carlyle also said: The best effect of any book is that it excites the reader to self-activity.

And I sincerely believe this is what the 15-Minute Rule can do for you.