The 15-Minute Fix

Start Small, Build Momentum: An Introduction to 15-Minute Fixes

You've seen the lists. The comprehensive emergency preparedness checklists that start with "Step 1: Store 56 gallons of water per person" and end somewhere around "Step 247: Construct a backup shelter in your backyard." By step three, you're overwhelmed. By step ten, you've closed the browser tab. By next week, you've forgotten about preparedness entirely until the next storm warning or news headline reminds you that you really should do something.

This is exactly why most families never start.

The problem isn't that people don't care about being prepared. The problem is that traditional preparedness resources make it feel impossible. They present readiness as an all-or-nothing proposition requiring weeks of planning, hundreds of dollars, and the organizational skills of a logistics coordinator. When the entry point feels that high, most people simply don't enter.

That's where 15-Minute Fixes come in.

The Philosophy Behind Small Steps

A 15-Minute Fix is exactly what it sounds like: a single, focused preparedness action you can complete in fifteen minutes or less. Not a comprehensive solution. Not a perfect system. Just one concrete step forward that proves preparedness is achievable with the time and resources you have right now.

The psychology here matters more than you might think. When you complete even one small preparedness task, you cross a critical mental threshold. You move from "I should do something about emergency preparedness" to "I am someone who takes preparedness seriously." That identity shift changes everything. Once you've stored one gallon of water per person, storing two gallons feels natural. Once you've started a 72-hour kit with three items, adding a fourth item next week feels easy.

Progress builds on itself. But only if you give it something to build on.

What Makes a Good 15-Minute Fix

Each 15-Minute Fix focuses on a single, manageable action. Take creating an emergency contact card, for example. In less than fifteen minutes, you can write down your most critical phone numbers on an index card, waterproof it with tape, and slip it into your wallet. That's it. No apps to download. No systems to master. Just a simple physical backup that means you can reach the people who matter most even if your phone dies or stops working.

Or consider the Dark House Drill. Gather your family when it's actually dark outside, turn off all the lights, and see if everyone can safely find your flashlights and meet back together. The drill takes fifteen minutes. The insights you gain about where your plan breaks down are invaluable. You'll discover which children don't actually know where the flashlights are stored, which batteries are dead, and which hallways need better lighting solutions.

These aren't theoretical exercises. They're practical actions that reveal real gaps while building real capabilities.

Breaking Through Preparedness Paralysis

The most valuable outcome from completing a 15-Minute Fix isn't the specific result. It's the proof that you can do this. When water storage feels overwhelming because official guidance says you need a two-week supply for your entire family, storing one gallon per person breaks the paralysis. You've started. The perfect solution doesn't exist, but your partial solution does. That's infinitely better than nothing.

This approach works because it meets you where you actually are, not where some expert thinks you should be. Maybe you can't dedicate an entire weekend to building 72-hour kits. But you can spend fifteen minutes putting a flashlight, water bottle, and granola bars into an old backpack. Maybe you can't afford to stock a full emergency pantry. But you can write down your emergency contacts and place the card somewhere accessible.

Each small action builds momentum for the next one. More importantly, each action shifts your mindset from someday to today.

Your Starting Point

Ready When It Counts offers a growing library of 15-Minute Fixes you can download for free. No email signup required. No complicated systems to learn. Just clear, step-by-step instructions for taking one meaningful action toward preparedness. Whether you're starting your first 72-hour kit, establishing a family meeting point, identifying the skills your household already has, or practicing what to do when the power goes out, there's a fix that will move you forward.

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is progress. Preparedness is a journey, not a destination. Your circumstances will change. Your needs will evolve. Your preparedness plan should grow and adapt right alongside your life. But none of that growth happens until you take the first step.

Pick one 15-Minute Fix. Complete it today. Then come back and pick another. That's how readiness happens—not through grand declarations or overwhelming plans, but through small, consistent actions that prove you're capable of being ready when it counts.