Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
Want to save time at home? Try the “6-to-1” technique, developed by an American, without further delay.
The mental load is this famous obligation of having to think about everything, all the time and for all members of the family. And the list is long: shopping, vaccinations, homework, laundry, putting away laundry, paying rent… A sneaky domestic overwork that exhausts the brain on a daily basis. Fortunately, there is a solution to overcome this: the “6-to-1” method.
Meal management, a task that exhausts the French
According to a 2022 OpinionWay study, more than 40% of the mental load of the French is associated with meal management. Not a surprising result when you retrace the tedious journey that a simple meal represents – shopping, cooking, then clearing out.
And it is precisely on this precise point – shopping – that the subject becomes thorny: it represents almost half of the mental load felt.
To alleviate this task, Will Coleman, a culinary content creator based in Brooklyn, uses the “6-to-1” method. We tell you everything!
If this American developed it, it’s because he was fed up with “wasting money, wasting food and spending hours at the grocery store trying to figure out what to buy and what to cook throughout the week,” he said on the show. Good Morning America.
He added that he created this technique “to regain control of your wallet and your time“.
Indeed, the idea behind the “6-to-1” method – also called the 5-4-3-2-1 method by others – is “to go to the grocery store once a week”, on Sunday for example “maybe twice if you have a larger family”, he explains.
What is the “6-to-1” method?
It consists of anticipating your meals by following the method: 6 vegetables (fresh or frozen), 5 fruits, 4 proteins, 3 starchy foods, 2 fats (butter, cheese, etc.) and 1 “pleasure” joker.
Thanks to this list, you will only buy what you need and will save time purchasing and cooking: the menu for the week will already be thought out and therefore made easier.
The other advantage of this method? No more unnecessary and/or transformed purchases. You will go to the essentials and eat much more balanced.
Slide: Mental load illustrated