Increments of Joy

10-minute-chunks for becoming your best self: 
Increments of Joy

There is a saying that if you are not rowing forward, you are slipping backward. These small chunks of time can be used to improve yourself and so, upsize your life. If you can’t find 10 minutes during your day (think less TV), take five!

10 Minutes of Reading

You can float off into the world of fantasy or stick to meat-and-potatoes non-fiction. If you read before turning the lights out in the evening, good.  You might prefer the morning.  Using reading as a recess from a busy day works wonders for your stress tolerance.  

10 Minutes of Language Training

• duolingo.com
• pull out your vocabulary cards
• read a few sentences of a story in the new language

10 Minutes of Exercise

• Yoga/Stretching
• a sassy Salsa or Hip Hop instruction video
• walk around the block, up & down the stairs, or just around your garden

10 Minutes of Writing

Yes, I suppose your To-Do list counts. The best thing would be stream-of-thought writing or a super-short story. Do not evaluate what you’ve done, just close your journal and go on with your day.

Research has shown how beneficial writing can be in times of stress and grief. People making use of this therapeutic tool feel better much faster than control groups.

10 Minutes of Visualization

• Imagine your ideal life.
• Plant your perfect day in your mind. The brain will keep on “growing” it.
• Visualize your perfect performance. Everything goes right. What do you hear, see, feel?
• Use your mind to picture possible calamities. Then go on and develop solutions.

10 Minutes of Silence or Meditation

• Just sitting, letting your mind go free. The thoughts come and go, without dwelling on them.
• Imagine a mountain lake and the rain is pattering down. Allow the rain to slowly get less and less – then stop. Enjoy the crystal clear and smooth surface of the lake.
• Use guided meditation, either from CDs or from YouTube.

10 Minutes of Inspiration

• TED Talks
• audio programs
• YouTube instructional videos
• Look out the window and admire nature.  Better still, take a 10-minute walk in it.

10 Minutes with a Hobby

Even though I like to draw, I rarely sit down and enjoy it. Now, I have made it a goal to practice drawing for 10 minutes. IF I want to do more and have the time, I have gotten over the threshold. It helps to leave the tools out so I don’t need to unpack everything.

• Knit a row.
• Draw something or at least begin a new drawing. Or paint a spontaneous picture with watercolors.
• Putt a few balls in your living room or office. Practice shadow backhands. Glue a few parts on that new model ship.
• Write in your blog.

Can you imagine your contribution toward your best self by using these small chunks of time? We waste so much time anyway. Why not enjoy short time windows to Upsize Your Life?!