Over the past 20 years of married life, I’ve owned more coffee pots than you can count. From traditional Mr. Coffee pots, expensive Ninja Coffee Bar gizmos, a few French Press makers, a Keurig, and my latest coffee obsession – a Pourover. My pourover coffee requires that I boil water before pouring it over the grounds, therefore EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I am required to wait for the water to boil before enjoying my morning fuel. The old saying goes, “A watched pot never boils”. So I’ve turned the waiting game into a challenge. How many kitchen chores can I get done in the 5 minutes it takes for the water to boil? 

​A watched pot never boils: 10 kitchen chores you can do in five minutes

Here’s 10 kitchen chores you can do in five minutes:

  1. Take your vitamins. Does anyone else have a terrible time taking their vitamins? I don’t know why it’s a big hangup for me, but it wasn’t until I incorporated it into my “waiting for my coffee water to boil” time that I’ve started to take it consistently. Call me crazy.
  2. Empty the dishwashser. Inevitably my dishwasher is full from running it the night before. Emptying the entire dishwasher in 5 minutes can be a challenge, but doing as much as you can is better than not doing anything at all.
  3. Fill the dishwasher. Well, obviously. If your dishwasher is empty, I bet you anything there’s dishes still in your sink from last night. #notjudging
  4. No dishes to do? (That’s nearly impossible in my household, but!) Wipe out the microwave. My microwave always seems to be neglected. 
  5. Spot clean your floor. Quickly sweep up any Cheerios from the floor, then take a paper towel or dishrag that was already on its way to the laundry, and spot clean any sticky messes on the floor. Take it one step further and get the corners that your mop can otherwise miss.
  6. Clean the surfaces of your appliances. Erase away those fingerprints and smudges. It only takes a few minutes, I promise!
  7. Wipe off the cupboards. An easily overlooked task, but once you take a closer look, your cupboards bare the markings of last week’s cake batter that spun off of the mixer! Give extra attention to drawers that are used often. 
  8. Empty the trash. And of course, put the next trash liner in the bin.
  9. Prep for dinner. Take a look at what you’ve planned for dinner. Do you need to take anything out of the freezer to thaw?
  10. Shine your sink. What-the-what? This has been a kitchen challenge I’ve taken for 15+ years and it has forever changed the way I look at my kitchen sink. The gist of this task is essentially to encourage you to clean your sink SO WELL that it shines, and you will NEVER want to put a dirty dish into it…ever again! The original challenge says to shine your sink each night before going to bed, so that in the morning you can start your day fresh. But just in case you can’t get to it at night, take five minutes to clean it while you’re waiting for the water is boil!

**Do you have pre-teens or teenagers? This is a great list to give them when you want a little extra help around the house!

I find that tackling chores in short segments can make a huge difference in the big picture of cleaning the house. Happy cleaning, and in my case, when the water is done boiling…sit back with that cup of coffee and pat yourself on the back for the tasks accomplished!

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