Instead of diving feet first into something and taking on more than I could chew, I decided to try something different: making a commitment to do something small every day. Little by little, those small increments of focus and attention add up to something much bigger (and more sustainable) in the end.
As a chronic over-doer who likes to dive feet first into really involved projects, make sweeping changes to my life (and menu) on a whim, and decide that I need to do eight million things to be the best version of myself I can be … ooooonly to realize a week or two later that I’ve take on too much and struggle to keep up, I know first hand how hard it can be to make lasting changes.
I also know how frustrating that cycle of planning, doing, failing, and chastising truly is.
Which is why last month, while I was in the throes of my creative rut, I decided to try something completely different and do the exact opposite of that. I decided to see what would happen if I made a commitment to do something specific (like exercise, read, draw, create, etc.) for 15 minutes or less a day.
The idea for this came from watching a series of videos over on Instagram where a person is “dehoarding” and organizing their home in 15 minute increments each day. That’s all they have time (or brain space) for, and honestly, it’s been really refreshing to watch. It’s also surprising to see how much they actually accomplish in that time frame.
I’ve also heard it called the Bluey principle when it comes to parenting. Anyone can be an amazing parent, giving their child their undivided attention for 9 minutes, the exact length of most Bluey episodes.
Or, how about the rule that if it takes less than 5 minutes to do something, do it right away? Like putting your clothes away, wiping down the countertop, filing that paper or going through the mail, making the bed, etc. the minute you think about it instead of putting it off to do later.
I figured I’d give it a try with regard to exercise. I want to exercise and move my body more. I know how good I feel once I’ve finished. And yet… I don’t. I have a really hard time getting motivated or feeling like I can give up the 25-40 minutes of my morning in order to do that. 10 minutes, though? I can handle that.
I spent 17 out of the last 28 days (with 13 of those being consecutive) doing some form of exercise. More than I did in the last 3 months combined. I did HIIT workouts, resistance band moves, yoga, and even some gentle stretching. I tried new things and found some really cool YouTube channels to check out. And never once did I feel bored or like I had to do something. Which is not normally the case for me.
That attitude also carried over to my reading. I found myself saying yes to popping on an audiobook while driving to get my kiddo from preschool. Because even if was just 15 minutes in the car, it was still something.
I can see this attitude transferring well to pretty much every aspect of my life. Which, I have to say, is pretty cool.
The next area I want to focus this approach on is my art. I have made it so difficult in my head to just pick things back up. I want to do SO MANY THINGS all at once, and then get overwhelmed and decide I just don’t have the time… BUT. Spend 15 minutes sewing? Yeah, I can do that. 15 minutes of collage time with The Little? Absolutely. 15 minutes painting and playing with watercolors? Heck. Yes.
What could you do with 15 minutes? Little by little, what changes could you make when you do something small every day? What would you be willing to try, check off your list, or even simply give yourself permission to do?