Blog, Personal Development, Productivity

The Power of 5 Minute Tasks

We all have 5 minutes to spare, here and there, throughout the day. Over the last several months, I’ve uncovered the magic of what all can really happen in 5 minutes.

It lies in the power of choosing a task and working on it for 5 minutes straight without interruption. This may be a task at home, work, or when you’re out and about. You might be thinking, “What can I get done in 5 minutes? I’ve got a pile of stuff to tackle and I’m lucky if I can get up and out the door each morning.” I know! I always thought that, too, but the reality is, you can get a lot done in 5 minutes.

I have included 9 simple ideas below to spend your 5 minutes.

But before you dive in, trust this: One of three things will happen when you accept the 5-minute challenge:

You will complete an entire task that you may have otherwise decided to put off until “you have more time”. If you like to check things off your to-do list, 5-minute tasks are the best!
You will whittle away at a larger task. As you continue to spend your 5 minute sessions on this larger task, before you know it, the entire task will be complete. Whittling away at a task can make a daunting task seem less overwhelming.
You will start with 5 minutes, but when you see the progress you’ve just made, your motivation and momentum kick in and (if and when you have time) you’ll find yourself still working on the task, happily, an hour later.

5-Minute Challenge Task Ideas:

1. De-clutter/Organize. A cluttered or unorganized house, car, or office not only clutters your physical space, but also clutters your mind. By spending 5 minutes de-cluttering an area, you will be happy, not only with the aesthetic value, but for the internal peace it will bring you as well.

I’m still a work in progress in this area, but here are a few handy tips that help me de-clutter and organize in 5 minutes:

1. Pick one small area to focus on. You’ve got 5 minutes, so pick an area within an area, if you can. For example, while you may decide to target your closet as an overall project, decide on one section within your closet to tackle in the 5 minute period: Fold, organize, and create a giveaway pile for all sweaters. The same could go for any single item or area of your closet: shoes, scarfs, seasonal clothes, etc.
2. Set your timer.
3. Get to work.

4. Mark down your progress in a journal or tracking sheet. This is not a necessity, but it’s a great way to keep yourself accountable, systematically work through the various areas in need, and is an excellent visual way to celebrate your successes.

2. Clean. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand leaving the house with dirty dishes in the sink. Not long ago, I went to bed without doing the dinner dishes (a big lasagna dinner), woke up late the next morning, and with 5 minutes to spare before running out the door, looked at those dishes and had a deep dread of coming home to that mess. Instead, I threw on an apron and got to work on those dishes. I kid you not, that mountain of caked on lasagna mess was cleaned in 5 minutes. What I thought for sure I’d need a good 30 minutes to clean, was done in 5 minutes. DISCLAIMER: I do have a dishwasher, but I thoroughly scrub my dishes before putting them in.

Cleaning your bathroom for 5 minutes also works wonders. I remember a friend’s mom told me when I was in high school that if you spend a few minutes cleaning your bathroom a couple times a week, you never really have to do a DEEP cleaning, because it never gets dirty enough. I keep disinfectant wipes in my bathroom and follow this wise woman’s advice once or twice a week and it keeps things fresh and the need for a deep clean to a minimum.

Same goes for most any area of your house. Got get ’em!

3. Take a mental time out. Not the same as meditation, but a deliberate 5 minutes of just slowing down to breath deeply, take a look at the beauty around you, or just sit and enjoy the silence around you.

4. Quick email/text/note/call to a handful of people to catch up. ‘Tis better to hear something than nothing at all, right? Trust me, friends, I’ve been the worst at this at times. I’ve decided not to reach out to someone because I didn’t have 30 minutes to devote to a “proper” conversation. Well, that 30 minutes of free time doesn’t present itself very often, so chances are you just won’t communicate to that person at all. Is letting a year pass by better than a quick “Hi! Thinking about you today. Hope you have an awesome day!” text, email, or voicemail? I think not. Personally, I’d rather hear that from a friend. I’m busy, too, so being on the receiving end of that text would be a relief for me. How about you?

Read an article I wrote here about a note I sent that was 274 days late.

5. Pray and meditate. You’d be surprised how many people, concerns, and thanksgivings you can cover in a 5 minute prayer session. Seriously–you’ll walk away feeling so much hope and goodwill in your heart. And if you’ve ever sat still quietly in meditation for 2 minutes – let alone, 5 minutes – you know how beneficial it can be.

6. Brainstorm an idea. Have you had an idea you’ve been thinking about, but always push it to the backseat because you “just don’t have the time”? Well, you won’t believe what a 5 minute brainstorming session using a pencil and paper can produce. Try this mind-mapping technique I wrote about here. I use this technique on almost all my blog posts and I’m always amazed at what comes out on paper when I do this.

7. Book an appointment. There’s bound to be something on your to-do list that you keep pushing down the priority list, but you really need to get done. Let’s face it, scrolling through Facebook for 5 minutes is a whole lot more fun than calling to listen to an automated voice direct us through unending options, to finally get stuck with someone on the other side of the line who appears to not be having the best day and her voice is implying you are part of the reason! However, the dental appointment, vet appointment, appointment to get your boiler serviced, or that dreaded colonoscopy appointment needs to be made. NOTE: My current dentist and vet both have friendly people on the other end of the line. : )

8. Move your body. People (talking to myself here, too !!!), we have been given this one body to last us for possibly century. How can we expect to avoid health problems if we don’t show a little love and respect to our bodies?? We must do more. And 5 minutes can go a long way. Stretch, take a quick walk, do an exercise that can be done at your desk, at home, or in the grocery line.

I have these neck/shoulder exercises that I really should do several days per week in order to prevent further injury and guess what? I cannot tell you how many days – even weeks – I have put off doing these exercises. It’s crazy! Especially when they don’t take that long and they’re not hard.

After re-injuring my neck/shoulder a few months ago, I printed out the exercises my physical therapist gave me and taped them to the inside of the cabinet that houses my coffee cups. So now, when I’m brewing my coffee (which takes 5.5 minutes), I do my exercises (which only take 4.5 minutes).

9. Journal. You don’t have to write a novel each time you journal. It’s actually a bit freeing to set a timer for 5 minutes and just write. A 5 minute “stream of consciousness” can be a really fun exercise. Just pick one person, place, or thing to write about and let it flow!

So, now you’ve got 9 ideas to inspire and motivate you to get started on your 5-minute challenge.

Will you commit to trying this over the next week? You can choose to do one 5-minute task each day or maybe a few 5-minute tasks per day.

TIP: I’ve found that when I tie my task to something like the time it takes to brew my coffee or for my dogs to eat their breakfast and go out to the bathroom, or for the clothes in the dryer to fluff, it helps me remember to do the task and also makes me want to try to “beat the clock” which is fun.

I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how you’re crushing your 5-minute tasks.

Here’s to getting stuff done!

Enjoy your day.

Jill xx

April 16, 2016/0 Comments/by Jill Gottenstrater