All Psyched Up: Change your life five minutes at a time
By Dr. Linda Hancock on July 26, 2019.
office@drlindahancock.com I often hear people talk about how busy they are and that often they feel overwhelmed. Their lives are disorganized, their vehicles need attention and their relationships are strained. Rather than piling things up and then feeling like everything is just too large to resolve, try doing things a little bit at a time. Your life can be so much better if you just think about what can be accomplished in five minutes or less. Following are things that take five minutes or less to do but will give you much pleasure. 1. Manage the dishwasher. It is much easier to make dirty dishes disappear immediately after a meal than waiting until hours later. Better yet, try having an empty dishwasher before meal preparation so that you can be loading it with cooking utensils as you go. 2. Write a short note to someone who you care about. One or two sentences may bring a smile to that person’s face. 3. Play your favourite song and dance! 4. Write a grocery list (on your phone or on paper). 5. Water your plants as you take in their aroma and beauty. 6. Bag, tie and take out the garbage. 7. Pray. 8. Move the meat for your next meal from the freezer to the fridge. 9. Choose an outfit and accessories for your next appearance. 10. Open a junk drawer and pull out 10 things you don’t need or want. 11. Read as many pages as possible in your favourite book (within the five-minute timeline). 12. Sit in a chair with eyes closed and breathe deeply with a goal of feeling totally relaxed. 13. Throw a load of laundry into the washer. 14. Delete unnecessary emails from your inbox. 15. Clean one mirror in your house. 16. Feed the pets. 17. Phone your mother (remember to start the conversation by saying “I only have five minutes”) 18. Remove everything from the seats in your vehicle. 19. Think about the next upcoming birthday in the family and how you will celebrate. 20. Exercise. 21. Plan one charity you can help this year (donations, volunteering, encouraging). 22. Journal. 23. Knit, crochet or focus on a hobby (remember, only five minutes!) 24. Brush and floss. 25. Flip through a magazine. 26. Enjoy a piece of fresh fruit. 27. Watch a Marie Kondo video on how to fold clothes (amazing!) 28. Play a game of solitaire. 29. Book an appointment for a massage. 30. List other things that you can do in five minutes or less. Don’t wait until things have piled up around you! Begin using five-minute segments in which you can organize your environment, plan your time and feed your soul. Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat. She can be reached at 403-529-6877 or through email office@drlindahancock.com 37-36
