February 5, 2026, 1:15 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
After a long day at work, cleaning up the apartment can feel overwhelming. To tidy up your living space quickly, you can follow the 60-second rule.
Maintaining order isn’t always easy. This tedious task often seems like a waste of time when the apartment quickly becomes messy again. Let’s be honest: Everyone sometimes lacks the energy to open the mail immediately or put the book back on the shelf, leading to more chaos. To create some order without wasting too much time, you can follow the 60-second rule. This approach allows you to tidy up particularly quickly.
Quick Cleaning with the 60-Second Rule
The 60-second rule is a time management concept. It states: If you can complete a task within a minute, you should do it immediately. Otherwise, many small tasks accumulate into a massive pile. By breaking tasks into small, manageable steps, cleaning and tidying the apartment becomes less overwhelming and might even become a habit.
Tasks to Complete Immediately
Even if it’s not always easy, instead of postponing small, quick tasks, it’s better to complete them immediately. This includes tasks such as:
- Making the bed
- Loading or unloading the dishwasher
- Loading the washing machine
- Putting away clothes
- Dusting
- Wiping the dining table
- Wiping the kitchen counter
The 60-second rule also applies if you notice a small stain that you can quickly wipe away or if you’ve finished a book or magazine—just put it away immediately.
Cleaning Tip from the myHOMEBOOK Editorial Team
“Some tasks might be completed quickly, but a minute might not be enough. You can adjust the 60-second rule to two or three minutes. In that time, you can clean the toilet or at least vacuum one room—it makes a big difference overall!”
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Use Waiting Times Wisely and Tidy Up Quickly
An additional tip to avoid wasting valuable time while tidying up: Use waiting times! While the pasta water is boiling, the last minutes of the washing machine are running, or a cleaning agent is soaking in, you can use this time to be active elsewhere. This way, you kill two birds with one stone.
Why the 60-Second Rule Makes Sense
The 60-second rule reflects a fundamental principle for quickly tidying or cleaning the apartment: regularity. By consistently completing household tasks in small stages, you won’t face a massive cleaning session at the end of the week. While a thorough cleaning is still necessary, it will be quicker thanks to regular tidying and cleaning.