I aim to apply the 30-minute rule to a variety of activities in my life. I know when I get out of bed in the morning, I should commit at least 30 minutes to my workout. I also know that this is the amount of time I need to transition from “work” mode to “mom” mode. And 30 minutes should be the maximum time I allow myself to fester over things that send my emotions into a tailspin.
Thirty minutes in each of these activities would be ideal, but as we all know, life is not always ideal. My workouts are often set aside for the opportunity to sleep a little longer. My work-to-home transition usually includes phone calls with the kids reminding me that I forgot to fill out some form or another. While I honestly intend to work through issues that leave a pit in my gut in the allotted 30-minute time period, sometimes my mind wins the battle and I end up walking around with a cloud of negative thoughts, self-doubt, and anxiousness for what can feel like days. When my pity party is over, I can’t help but think, “What a waste of time!"
An article I once read on stress management said that most issues that cause angst can and should be compartmentalized into a specific (30-minute) time period. This allows the necessary processing of emotions. It went on to suggest setting an egg timer to hold to the process. Personally, I thought it was a bit ridiculous, but then I decided to try it anyway… what did I have to lose? And, you know what? It works! Well, most of the time. The truth is we are human and our brains still want to take control. Yet just the idea of knowing that the egg-timer theory works keeps me motivated to get it right the next time.
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