I think a lot of times people think I’m perfect. That I have a perfect life and everything is perfect in my house all the time. And that’s just so not true. 

I have struggles. I have mindset blocks. My house and relationships are sometimes messy. 

So, let me just get that out of the way and tell you that things aren’t perfect over here. Not to burst your bubble or anything. 

That being said, I am a perfectionist. I’m the epitome of an all-or-nothing person.

I struggle with it so, so much. And I think it’s a struggle a lot of us have. 

And what sucks is that this all-or-nothing mentality is a version of perfectionism that can really get you stuck before you even begin. It can really set you on a negative spiral. 

 And it’s not necessary. Or even helpful.

But I’m here to tell you about something that has totally changed the game for me when it comes to overcoming this unhelpful mindset. I’m calling it the 15 Minute Reset.

Listen, there’s so much power in 15 minutes. There’s so much power in just hitting the reset button when you’re tired, or when you’re not making progress in an area. 

We’re not meant to stay stuck. We’re not meant to live in a cycle of defeat and negativity. We’ve got to say no to that. 

We have the power to change our situations. And sometimes it only takes fifteen minutes. 

These are the 6 areas where I use the 15 minute reset to refocus, make progress, solve problems: 

Relationships

If you’re married and you have kids you know how difficult it can be to have a full conversation without a kid pulling on your leg every 2 seconds. Really you don’t even have to have kids to have distractions pulling at you. Just be a functioning adult and you’ll know what I mean. 

So, this is one area where the 15 minute reset can be a total game changer. Just set the timer, get the kids settled or put the phones away and just hash it out. 

You could give 3 minutes to your spouse, 3 minutes to yourself where you don’t interrupt each other. You guys get to share your sides and then spend the remaining time trying to come to a conclusion, trying to solve the problem. 

And it’s OK if you don’t solve it. The important thing is that you’re showing up for each other. 

Cleaning

I think a lot of times we overthink things and we get into an all-or-nothing mindset with our homes. Like if we can’t clean the whole house from top to bottom then the day was a total botch. 

It doesn’t have to be like that. That’s perfection and that has no place. 

Magic can happen if you just pick up for 15 minutes. Get your family involved. If you have really little kids, try to get them busy with something and then just do what you can. 

When the house is messy, set a timer and just have at it. Clean everything you see. 

Even if you don’t get it all done, you’ll at least have put 15 minutes of focused energy into the problem. Not everything needs to be done all the way. Just set a timer and do what you can. 

Diffuse Chaos

You know how your house can just feel really overwhelming sometimes? 

Not just because it’s messy or anything like that. But it’s just chaotic, overstimulating, loud and tense?

Set a timer for 15 minutes and attack that chaos, girl! 

Are your kids whining? Listen to them. What’s the root cause? What do they need from you? 

Is there a feeling of stress in your house? Light a candle. Turn on your oil diffuser. Start playing some praise music…or rap music. Whatever the mood calls for. 

Get the vibe in your house diffused. Bring peace over your home. 

Sometimes your house just needs you and your attention. Sometimes it just needs you to press pause, evaluate and diffuse certain the chaos. 

And you know what? Maybe your kids are still being jerks and things are still a little crazy when the timer dings. 

But you did what you could. You know you tried. And that’s what counts. 

Exercise

We all know we need to do it. We set goals. We set fitness plans. But then we keep not doing it. 

You don’t have to follow the Pinterest-perfect fitness plan to live healthfully. You don’t need to go work out for an hour to be fit. 

Get the kids busy, set the timer and hit it, girl! Do squats, pushups, tricep dips, arm circles, or just flip on that rap music and proclaim a dance party! Go hard for 15 minutes. It counts! 

Get in “The Mood”

Not to be TMI (I’m just trying to give you life-hacks) but sometimes it’s just hard to transition into that slow mood with your husband when you’ve just been going, going, going all day long. Ya feel me? 

15 minutes can be a good transition time to help get  you in the mood for an intimate night with your spouse. Because even though we love our hubbies, a lot of times we’re just not feeling it. 

But put your headphones in and listen to peaceful music. Stretch. Take a shower. Go for a walk by yourself. Take a bath. Breathe and unwind for fifteen minutes. 

This is a freaking marriage saver. Trust me. It will work. 

Brainstorming

I legit do this every day. There’s just a lot of brainstorming in my life. 

I’m always working to come up with life-hacks that turn into my courses or my podcast episodes, or my blog posts. I’m always brainstorming and the fifteen minute reset has been such a game changer in this area. 

Just a little helpful disclaimer though: you need to know if you’re an internal or an external processor. If you’re an external processor, you come to conclusions or solutions by talking it out with someone else.  

If you’re an internal processor, you need time to be alone and quiet and think things through. We’re all different and knowing which one you are is powerful. 

I’m an external processor and stylist and business guru, Hilary Rushford gave me the idea to open up my voice memo app and talk to myself like I’m talking to a friend when I need to figure something out. 

So, if you’re an external processor. Do that. Go around the neighborhood and just talk into your phone. 

Phone a friend. Talk to your husband. Whatever works for you as an external processor, do that for 15 minutes. 

If you’re an internal processor, go for a walk and just be quiet. Make yourself a cup of tea and journal through the problem. 

Just get your brain going. All it takes is 15 minutes to refocus the problem and work out how you’re going to solve it instead of whining, complaining, and staying in the same place. 

This is magic. It is magic. It will help you get out of the cycle of negativity of a bad day or bad week. 

Because that’s not where you belong. That’s not who you want to be.

You are an action-taking, problem-solving woman. If you don’t like something, you need to fix it. 

So, what’s an area of your life where you feel stuck, or that’s overwhelming you? It’s time to take action. Get out your phone, pull up your timer and get to work!

Listen girl, I know that sometimes it can be hard to know where the heck to start when you feel like you’d need all day to declutter but only have 15 minutes. Don’t worry, I got you! I’ve put together a list of decluttering projects you can do in 15 minutes to help you clear away some clutter in a small chunk of time.