People are using this creator’s viral ‘how long does it take?’ videos to beat procrastination—and it’s weirdly working

Spring cleaning season is here, and one TikTok creator spent the last month going viral after posting a series of videos—titled ‘How long does it take?’—designed to hold herself accountable for her struggles with executive function. 

At the end of March, Christi Newrutzen (@christinewrutzen) had 70 followers on TikTok and a dream of completing a task she put off for two years. The task in question was to finish painting a dresser and mirror set she purchased at Goodwill. Newrutzen filmed herself painting and calculated how long the entire process took—one hour and four minutes, not counting the time the dresser required to dry between coats—and posted the video on TikTok, where it blew up. 

Commenters were astounded by Newrutzen’s premise: The tasks we put off and build up in our minds are far easier to handle than the anxiety that comes from procrastinating.

@christinewrutzen Here is one of my installments of How Long Does It Actually Take? #cleaning #pantry #homeproject #procrastinating #cleaningtime ♬ Bluest Flame – Selena Gomez & benny blanco

How long does it take?

And so, encouraged by her comment section, Newrutzen donned her best lounge clothes and a pair of sunglasses, picked up a microphone, and posted more videos in her series, which she named “How long does it take?”

One month later, Newrutzen’s TikTok following stands strong at over 300K, her “How long does it take” videos have accrued millions of views, and TikTok commenters feel motivated to finally tackle their own to-do lists. 

So far, Christi’s completed tasks include making a dentist appointment after three years (9 minutes, 3.6M views), cleaning four junk drawers after 1.5 years (31 minutes, 3.5M views), and cleaning the bottom of her pantry after a year of putting it off (27 minutes, 7.7M views).

She made videos cleaning out her car, unclogging the vents in her fridge, scrubbing her shower and emptying the drain, doing laundry, mending pillows, and even posted a brand collaboration with ThredUp where she cleaned out her closet and donated her old clothes.

Cleaning her junk drawer turned into a movement

TikTok commenters are grateful for the motivation Newrutzen provides with her videos. Brianne wrote “Wait. Keep doing this. It actually made me seriously consider doing that thing I’ve been meaning to do.”  And pizzapie73121 commented that they use Newrutzen’s posts as inspiration and “do the same thing in my house and see if I can beat your time.” They add that this is “very effective motivation.”

Newrutzen’s cleaning community is still growing, but her work elicited comparisons to Marie Kondo, the Japanese professional organizer and consultant whose bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up became a cultural sensation after Kondo published it in 2010. Newrutzen responded to the comparison in a video, stating—partially in Japanese—that while she sees herself as a “hot mess” she is a “huge fan” of Kondo and would love to collaborate.  

No reply yet from Kondo, but both Newrutzen and TikTok are anxiously awaiting her response.

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