I’m always amazed at how much I can accomplish when I focus on a task for 15 minutes.
How about you? Do you have big goals you’d love to accomplish? These tips can help you tackle amazing things in small chunks of time.
“I’d love to write a book someday, but right now I don’t have the time.”
Can you relate? When I teach writing classes, I hear this often.
One of my favorite exercises to do with writers is a timed sprint. We set a timer for 15 minutes, and everyone writes as quickly and unconsciously as they can.
When the timer goes off, these writers are often astonished that their average word count comes in at about 400 words.
Then we do the math: if we write just 400 words a day for five days a week, we can write a 60,000-word draft of a novel in about seven months—and still have weekends off.
I’ve learned that doing big things in small chunks of time can be incredibly productive. We can do amazing things by when we take small steps with consistency and perseverance.
Fifteen Minutes of Focus for Six Days
With this in mind, would you like to join me in an experiment in the coming week?
If you’re game, let’s commit to 15 minutes of one activity for the next six days. We’ll start Monday and end Saturday. The only requirement is that we state our intentions below and check in every day for six days after we complete our activity. By Saturday we’ll have devoted an hour and a half to something meaningful, and we can share our results.
Here are 20 ideas:
- Take photographs
- Meditate
- Practice gratitude
- Exercise
- Create a scrapbook page
- Pray
- Write in a journal
- Beautify a space
- Learn foreign language words or phrases
- Read to a child
- Create a drawing
- Write a poem
- Read a scripture
- Write a letter
- Take a walk
- Reach out to a friend or loved one
- Declutter a shelf
- Work in the garden
- Write a flash fiction story
- Begin your novel
If you’re “in,” leave a comment below about what you’ll do for 15 minutes a day in the coming week. Then, just reply to your own comment each day you complete the activity. You can just write “Done,” or tell us more about what you did, or how it’s going.
Are you game? I’ll get the party started and leave the first comment.
Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
I’m going to work on my granddaughters quilt.
Crystal, that sounds like a splendid project. What a wonderful grandma you are! ~Eliza
Just came across this amazing challenge!
15 minutes reading. And 15 minutes decluttering. Even if it’s 1 drawer at a time!
Starting today!
Katie, those are both fabulous things to do with 15 minutes! Wishing you happy reading and decluttering! ~Eliza
My home started to look like one of those on shows about hoarders and I feel overwhelmed, don’t know when and how to start. So I’ll devote 15 minutes a day to decluttering.
Nevia, good for you! When I’m overwhelmed with decluttering, sometimes it helps to use 15 minutes to make one small space tidy — like one kitchen drawer or one bookshelf. Good luck, and I’m pulling for you. ~Eliza
I’m going to read scripture & meditate for 15 minutes daily.
Carol, what a great way to spend 15 minutes — feeding your soul. Thank you so much for sharing this. ~Eliza
Ah, yes, FlyLady’s 15 minutes of focused behaviour was my lifeline once l had my two children in the early ’80s. I still use it, but for this six-day challenge, l will write and send a card to a different friend or family member each day. Thank you!
Irene, I love your idea to send a card to a loved one each day! I’m going to copy this for my next challenge! :-) ~Eliza
I will try this to write content for a show I need to start. For accountability will start Monday 17th July.
Will also use the short sprint to organize the study – especially the paper filing – which is my most dreaded task.
I love this concept! I am a teacher and am already feeling overwhelmed about the upcoming school year. This coming week, I am going to spend 15 minutes/day lesson planning so I can put my energy into tangible activity rather than into fear/overwhelm/anxiety.
Carolyn, bless you for being a teacher and all of the extra work your profession entails. I love your idea to break your lesson planning down into small chunks. Sometimes if I have a task like that, I set my timer for 15 minutes so it’s really a finite time. I hope the time is really productive for you and brings a measure of peace, too. ~Eliza
Just ran across this gem of a post! I am going to sit outside on my back porch and do nothing for 15 minutes. I need to slow down. I need to stop flooding my body and mind. I’m curious if anything will come of this. But it feels right.
Molly, good for you, listening to your inner voice and just spending some peaceful, unstructured time. I love the Italian expression Dolce Far Niente, “the sweet act of doing nothing.” Our spirits really need it sometimes, right? I need to do this, too! ~Eliza