The Viral TikTok Series That’s Helping Parents Tackle Their To-Dos

As a parent, it’s easier than ever for tasks to pile up on your to-do list. From replying to that school email to cleaning out the coat closet and finally switching out the clothes from winter to spring, even the simplest jobs can feel insurmountable amid the constant whirlwind of parenting. But for the thousands of parents who are overwhelmed and avoiding their to-dos, one woman is making things feel a little less anxiety-inducing and a lot more doable with the help of a simple timer.

Christi Newrutzen has recently gone viral for her hilarious, deadpan TikToks that show exactly how long those mundane or unpleasant tasks you’ve been putting off for months actually take—spoiler alert: it’s always less time than you’d think.

In her “How Long Does It Actually Take?” series, Newrutzen sets a timer and gets to work on a variety of tasks. Putting away two loads of laundry that had been sitting out for 11 days? Just 28 minutes—and that’s with some streaming on the side. Restoring the pantry from the verge of chaos? That takes 27 minutes. It’s not only household chores, either. After three years of putting off making a dentist appointment, it takes her just nine minutes to make a short call.

In the comments, people sounded off with the tasks they’d been putting off and finally got inspired to do. “You inspired me. I changed my sheets, made my bed, treated my laundry, picked up my room AND started a load of laundry in 17.66 mins,” wrote one commenter. “I have gotten 4 big projects done because of you in the last week. One was cleaning the garage and taking stuff to the attic. Took 52 minutes. Put it off a year,” added another.

The magic of this series may lie in the bite-sized approach or simply in having a clear finish line—either way, it’s working. “My favorite part of this series is that you’re tackling just a PORTION of something rather than needing it to be all or nothing. Not the whole garage, but one set of shelving. Progress > perfection,” pointed out one commenter. “For real, I have done more since seeing your videos than I have in 5 years. I cannot thank you enough!”

In the chaos of parenting, where never-ending to-dos can feel overwhelming, it’s reassuring to know you’re not alone in putting off the small stuff. And even more comforting to realize that tackling it often takes less time and effort than you imagined.