Random Observation/Comment #458: You’d be surprised at how much you can do in 15 minutes. You can probably make a list…
Why This List?
Jason Womack suggested this in his GetMomentum module around productivity. When you break your day down to 15-minute chunks, you can manage and complete medium-sized tasks within an uninterrupted time. It also provides an easy widget-like lift and shift flexibility with these tasks if you’re on the go and your schedule changes. It’s a productivity tip and I think it’s easier to use some mini activities that could get me inspired (and also fill up my daily commute).
- Write in my journal “Dear Diary…” (Once a day)
- Watch a TED Talk and leave a thoughtful comment (Once every 2 days)
- Call my parents for a chat (5 times a week)
- Prioritize my work day tasks (Once a day)
- Prioritize my work week tasks (done on Sunday)
- Write a postcard or Thank you note (Once a week)
- Finish a crossword (5 times a week-ish)
- Jog the Brooklyn Bridge (Once a week)
- Wish the birthday people a happy birthday (and hopefully also catch up randomly with them) (Every day)
- Grab a coffee with someone new at work (Once a day)
- Stretch and meditate (Once or twice a day)
- Read up on tech news (Once or twice a day)
- Read a getAbstract summary and take notes for a possible blog post (once every 2 days)
- Sync up with gf about the upcoming week of events and tasks (every Sunday/Monday)
- Text 2 or 3 old friends and catch up throughout the day (once a day)
- Write a restaurant Yelp review (Once a week)
- Write a summary email to management/team setting tasks and expectations (Once every 2 weeks)
- Catch up on web comics xkcd, SMBC, doghouse diaries (usually done Mon morning or Fri morning)
- Read a suggested story or two on Medium (it’s nice that they show the amount of time it’ll take for reading it too) (Once a week)
- Catch up on financials/stocks/bitcoin/dogecoin prices and trends (Once or twice a weekday)
- Watch a video on youtube (e.g. movie trailer, smartereveryday, rhett&link, vsauce, freddiew, random popular/viral videos) and research topic (Once or twice at nights)
- Beat Johnson in a TT match (oh, snap!)
- Send a catch-up email to a mentor (Once a week)
- Start/Continue/Finish a blog post (3 times a week, but now much more)
- Do the dishes / tidy up (Once a day)
- Review my Google Keep / Notes and complete any adhoc tasks (Once a day, but each tasks lasts ~15 minutes and may complete 4 or 5 tasks)
- Destress/Decompress (Once a day before sleeping)
- Run a common errand (quick groceries downstairs, cut up boxes to recycle, take out the garbage, send laundry out, put away folded clothes, clear fridge of expired stuff, feed Henry, prep cooking, shave/groom/teeth brushing, etc)
- Take a power nap (Not done nearly as much as I should)
- Day Dream – about anything and everything (More times than I should)
~See Lemons Break it to 15
