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I seem to be living my life 15 minute at a time. This includes my commute and some standard gaps between things. These 15 minute chunks have felt like they are insignificant and not long enough to be able to add any real value to my life. Here is my list of 15 minute spaces:
- Between my wife taking kids to school and myself needing to leave to work
- My commute to and from work or the kids’ school
- Between my daily morning start tasks and when my team starts to arrive
- Between getting home and eating dinner
- Between bedtime routine and time together with my wife
- Between me getting into bed and my wife getting into bed
Wasting 15 Minutes at a Time
These 15 minute spaces used to drive me nuts. “What could I possibly accomplish in 15 minutes?” Most of the time the answer to that question has been nothing. So then I do nothing. To me nothing has looked like this:
Scrolling
Facebook Reels tend to suck me in the easiest and deepest and that 15 minutes is gone in a flash! These might be entertainment, lifehacks, or project related videos. I quickly, and possibly subconsciously, convince myself that this last category is actually quality productivity, but it definitely is not.
Playing
I tend to cycle through some game that steals all of my attention, play it consistently until it turns in to work (churning through matches to get more stuff to churn through matches), and then deleting the game until something shiny and new comes along to begin the cycle again.
Pretending
This shows in two ways: unbridled daydreaming and unfocused work. I use a lot of time and brain space thinking about a potential new project or venture, but that’s the end of the effort. There is no plan or action that comes with it. Or I do some research on a component of those projects or ventures without
Using 15 Minutes at a Time
My solution to changing that answer to something is based on two major goals: being more productive – in my hobbies/side hustles/personal projects – and not wasting time – usually scrolling, playing, or pretending to do something of value.
So what does a valuable use of 15 minutes look like? I have found quite a few things can fill that time effectively:
Reading
I’m a slow reader, but 15 minutes is enough to get through a chunk of a book or reread a section that requires a little more thought. This is especially good as a task that can easily fill the time if that 15 minutes can turn into 20 or 30. While I like stopping reading at a clear spot, you can stop reading at any moment.
Writing
I dream of getting a whole day to focus on writing. Maybe it’s a bunch of blog posts or a book. But that dream has not become a reality, and likely won’t any time soon. But 15 minutes, is enough time to move things a long. This writing can be a multitude of items:
- Outlines
- Lists of topics
- Starting a blog post or a chapter
- Adding to started posts or chapters
- Rewriting posts or chapters
- Journaling
- I loathe journaling as a tedious chore, but the 15 minute limit helps it be less chore-y.
Spoiler: I wrote this post in five 15 minute sittings. One to just get started. The next to fill it out more. Another to add a few sections. One more to add some details and reword some areas. And the final to make sure it was ready to publish.
Meditating
Simply being still for 15 minutes does wonders for my psyche. That brief pause just slows my brain down. There are plenty of 10-15 minute meditations out there. I actually get Headspace free through my work, so I use that on occasion. Or you can just get comfy, close your eyes, and breathe. These two books got me into breathwork – Think Like a Monk and Breath.
Moving
A brief walk, especially outside, has a significant positive impact with minimal time and effort. Depending on the situation, this could also be a more rigorous exercise. Again, the 15 minutes makes this seem infinitely less daunting.
Actions Starters
- How have you been wasting your 15 minutes?
- What are some things you can easily do for 15 minutes?
- How do you get started on a daily or weekly habit?
Go start something!