5-Minute a Day Projects?

[Jes]

Hey, smart people.

I'm looking for suggestions for a project or goal that I can complete by working for just five minutes every day.

Why five minutes and not 15 or 30, you ask? Well, to be honest, I'm a life-long procrastinator and recovering obsessive-compulsive. Committing to 15 or 30 minutes of daily anything is really, really difficult for me. So, in the vein of Steve's self-discipline method, I'd like to begin at what I can handle: five minutes. The only trouble is, I can't think of anything productive to do in such a short period of time.

So, does anyone have any ideas for such a bizarre project? It can be anything, really. I'm not too concerned about what the project or goal is, so long as I complete or achieve it.

Many thanks,
Jes

[Maciek]

Think for 5 minuts how your life would be without procrastination, imagine yourself doing a lot of good work every day, just dream... what if... ? what if ...?

[Shaden]

Write down some short bursts of inspirational one-liners that just come naturally. I did this and the boost to my wisdom was staggering.

[gberardi]

If you only have five minutes, you can start doing dishes or shredding papers or paying bills.

You don't need to finish. You just need to start.

Recently, the dishes have been getting out of control. Instead of dedicating the time to do them all at once, however, I just wash a few dishes here and there. Eventually, they'll all get done. I just need to wash at least one more item than I put in to keep ahead. B-)

[Prometheus]

Hi Jes,

What is the one area of your life that if you improved it would lead to the greatest benefit?

For many people (including me) it is physical:
Try doing just five minutes of moderate physical activity - this can be anything:

-high reps of squats (with no weights)
-stretching or yoga poses
-sit-up and push-ups

What you will notice is that after a while (maybe 2-3 weeks at most) you will want to spend more time. Increase the time to ten minutes. Of course, you know where I am going with this, eventually you will find yourself increasing the time you exercise to the point where you are doing full-blow workouts.


For other is might be time management. I suggest How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein because it's a classic and it's very short so that you can complete it even if you read it in just five minute spurts. It will also help you overcome your procrastination. Another good idea is to re-read a book you've already read, esp. if it deals with beating procrastination or time management.

[Lauxa]

Memory work.

It's good because there's not much setup or cleanup and you can memorize somthing to impress your friends and family. What is up to you. All the countries and capitols of the world? The Odessy? The Bible? Pi to 500 digits?

Or maybe learn to juggle.

[ferociousgoals]

One I just did is in the other thread--learn world geography (using freeware). I spent maybe five minutes twice a day on the program, which feels more like a game than anything, really.

How about learn all the countries in Africa and Asia? I would bet in ten days, five minutes a day, you'd have most of it, and it definitely makes you feel smarter and better connected. Plus, you can wedge in the sessions while still on the computer. Easy easy.

Or, you can start working on your space by finding 10 things to throw away, everyday (read this on a bunch of other sites). Doesn't matter how small, but does make you really think about the things you have around. As a matter of fact, I'm going to do this right now!

[Acting Like Godot]

Every day, you will spend 5 minutes writing down a list of things that you wish to do that day.

[A.K.Light]

I like this idea. You can accomplish something that would usually seem extremely tedious and boring by simply just doing a tiny little bit everyday. My idea a few months ago was to a build a wall out of pop cans. My stairwary and my kitchen has a wall between them, but there's a section about 5 foot by 6 foot missing so you can have the view. I was going to slowly fill that gap. I started off great and I was amazed at the progress I was making but unfortunately the cans just wouldn't stack snuggly enough, plus, I came to the conclusion that whoever made this place didn't measure anything because I wasn't building into a 90 degree angle.

Lately I've been keeping a diary/journal. It usually only takes me about 5 or 10 minutes a day. I haven't skipped a day yet, which is pretty good for me.

I'm still trying to figure out a way to build something cool with garbage without actually putting any work into it.

[Shaden]

I like this idea. You can accomplish something that would usually seem extremely tedious and boring by simply just doing a tiny little bit everyday. My idea a few months ago was to a build a wall out of pop cans. My stairwary and my kitchen has a wall between them, but there's a section about 5 foot by 6 foot missing so you can have the view. I was going to slowly fill that gap. I started off great and I was amazed at the progress I was making but unfortunately the cans just wouldn't stack snuggly enough, plus, I came to the conclusion that whoever made this place didn't measure anything because I wasn't building into a 90 degree angle.

Lol what a great idea but think of all the pop you'd have to drink.

[tapyourpower]

If you did nothing but EFT for 5 minutes a day you could do remarkable things! I assign my clients 5 minute exercises between sessions especially if they aren't motivated to do more and the shifts are quite dramatic. Best of luck.

Alina Frank, EFT-ADV
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