Do you ever look at what others have accomplished and think you can’t possibly do that? We all have that comparison gremlin to contend with. Do you then fall back on your standard excuse? I just don’t have time!

I’m going to challenge you on that.

I’ve written about “you management” as opposed to “time management” in the past. Today I want to share a simple concept that might make a difference in your day.

Let’s call it Take 15.

I know that you can find 15 minutes in your day. It might mean taking 15 minutes less for lunch. It might mean getting up 15 minutes early. It might mean giving up 15 minutes of that Netflix or Fixer Upper binge you’ve got going on.

If you are still saying that there’s no way you can find 15 minutes, take a look at what you do during your day.

What you spend your time on is what you value. Do you really want Netflix to define you?

So go through your calendar and see where you are spending your time and look for that 15 minutes.

Now that you’ve found it (or maybe more than 15 minutes), what are you going to do with it?

Here are some ideas.

Your dream project

Start on that dream project you keep putting off because you need more time. It could be the book you want to write or the painting you want to start or the class you want to teach.

You say you need more than 15 minutes. Of course you do.

But you only need 15 minutes to start. No one says you have to finish the project in 15 minutes. You only need to start.

If the thought overwhelms you to work on a big project because you don’t know where to actually start, get out some post-its or index cards and write down the parts of the project and start with the first one.

Your everyday projects

Sometimes it’s even hard to get going on simple projects you have. For example, a quilt you need to piece or the proposal for your next book. Or the book that will help you learn something to put to use in your business.

Again, it it seems too big, break it down into small tasks that can be completed in 15 minutes.

Your personal projects

You can take this same simple concept and apply it to your everyday life. This might be cleaning out the garage. (Okay, that’s on my list.) Or adding strength training to your day. Or drinking more water during the day. Or starting a meditation practice.

Funny thing is that once you start with that 15 minutes, it’s likely to turn into 30 or 45. Remember, it’s all about little steps building to big results.

It was starting that was holding you back.

Your turn!

Where did you find that 15 minutes, and what are you doing with it?

Tags: 15 minutes, Projects, time management, you management

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 6th, 2019 at 9:15 am and is filed under Management, Planning, Productivity, time management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.