10 things to do in 5 minutes to improve your life
We all wish to improve our lives and get a little better but often it sums up to, I don’t have time. Well, it’s time to give up this excuse as I am sharing with you 10 things you can do in 5 minutes to improve your life. You can quickly put these into practice even if you are busy and have less time. I am sure when followed consistently these will improve your life and make you a better person.
Why you should spend 5 minutes on simple things to improve your life?
Here are some reasons why you should start with simple things to improve your life.
- Small can make big difference:
I realized the potential of small things to improve life from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In his book, he mentioned the concept of 1% improvement. It simply means if you improve by 1% each day by the end of the year you will be 37 times better. The power of doing small is often underestimated.
- You need less time:
In our busy lives, we find it difficult to make time for doing anything but we can definitely make 5 minutes in a day. Doing small things does not require much time, so it is easier to practice and also convince ourselves that these things are doable.
- You can be consistent:
Commitment to doing that that requires a lot of time is difficult. You may start very positive but once the motivation is gone you find it hard to stick to it. But doing small actions that require just 5 minutes makes it easier for you to stick to them.
- You can do it anytime:
The thing about practicing small habits for 5 minutes is that even if you missed doing it in the morning on a busy day you can make 5 minutes any time of the day. You will not be able to procrastinate as you can easily grab 5 minutes during your commute, lunch breaks, and before going to bed.
How to improve life in 5 minutes
Of the many things that you can do in 5 minutes and make your life better. Here are 10 things to do in 5 minutes to improve your life that are easy to practice and will bring significant improvement in your life.
1: Journaling
Journaling helps you to clear your mind and improves self-awareness. Often times we have many things on our minds and we are unclear about what to do. You have answers to many things but it is just clouded by many thoughts running in your head. When you journal you are able to see things with a clear perspective and make better decisions for yourself. Journaling also helps you to feel less overwhelmed and relieves stress.
You can start with journaling for 5 minutes either in the morning as part of your morning routine or just before going to bed. There are a few ways in which you can start journaling.
- 1 page a day:
You can either start with 1 page a day where you just write one page for 5 minutes without stopping or trying to be correct. You just have to write anything that comes across your mind, this also improves your creativity.
- Use journal prompts:
The other way to journal is by using journaling prompts, these are set of questions that you answer to reflect better. These can be selected based on your priorities and the things that you are struggling with the most.
- Daily journaling:
You make a note of all the things that you did during the day. Try to capture not just the events of the day but also how you felt emotionally. Give more emphasis on what you think about different things and feel about them.
2: Plan your day
You should start with spending 5 minutes every day to plan your day. It is best to plan your day the previous night.
Planning your day helps you reach your goals and improve your life. You can manage your time, prioritize tasks, and stay organized. Most importantly it helps you stay focused and productive which greatly boosts improving your life at work, academically or personally. When you plan your day well, you can make the most of each day and get closer to your dream life.
Planning your day also helps reduce stress and anxiety by allowing you to focus on what is important. Take better control of the time you spend on different things throughout the day. I highly recommend spending 5 minutes on planning your day as it really moves you towards a better life.
P.S. You may like to read my post How to Plan a Productive Day and 12 Tips to boost your productivity at Work.
3: Reading each day
If you are on your journey for self-improvement reading will be your best companion. There are many books on self-help and skill development that will immensely improve your life. Just by spending 5 minutes reading a book each day, you can improve your life.
On average a person can read 3 pages in 5 minutes, On average there are 200-400 pages in a book. If we assume 300 pages in a book you can finish 1 book in hundred days which will be 3 books in a year, just by reading for 5 minutes daily.
Besides the knowledge, reading book improves your focus, memory, and communication skills.
Reading is an essential part of self-growth with the right books, reading can be an invaluable tool to help you live a better life.
4: Wake 5 minutes earlier
Morning is always a time of rush, you just hit the alarm off and start with your day. But just by getting up 5 minutes earlier, you can set the right tone for the day. Even if you have a good morning routine for yourself, just try waking up 5 minutes early and use these 5 minutes to just absorb the morning.
Don’t thinks about the thing you have to do today or how was your day yesterday. Just sit on the bed and set the intention for the day and be mindful. Set the intention that today will be a great day, be mindful of yourself self and feel calm in the morning.
Getting up 5 minutes early lets you focus on yourself and get ready for the day without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. It helps improve your overall well-being and makes it easier for you to handle any situation that comes your way.
P.S. If you are looking for morning routine inspiration read 50 Good Morning routine ideas that suit everyone and build your morning routine with 5 steps to build a morning routine before work.
5: Meditate
To improve your life, overall well-being is very important and this is best achieved by doing daily meditation. Meditation improves mental performance and relieves stress. But we often think meditation requires a lot of time or something that cannot be done in 5 minutes.
According to studies, meditation for a minimum of five minutes every day can considerably reduce stress and increase mindfulness thus promoting our overall well-being.
You can incorporate a 5-minute meditation practice into your morning routine, during your commute, lunch break, or before bedtime.
6: Smile to yourself
Happiness is a habit—cultivate it-Elbert Hubbard. We often think that we will be happy if we achieve this or that, only to make our happiness depend on others. A good way to improve yourself is to feel happy. Here is a 5-minute trick to make yourself happy, smile at yourself.
Smiling boosts your mood boost and makes your body release cortisol and endorphins, which increase endurance and reduces pain and stress. Smiling yourself brings positivity, and increases self-acceptance and self-love. It absolutely changes the way you think and feel.
So, just look in the mirror and smile at yourself for 5 minutes. You can do it while brushing your teeth or getting ready for the day in the morning. Try it, it will instantly change your attitude for the better.
7: Listen to good podcasts
If you are short on time, listening to a podcast is a great way to make yourself better. You can listen to them while doing some mundane tasks, or commuting. Podcasts can help you learn new things and explore a new interest. They provide expert knowledge in a compact episode of a few minutes. It is also an excellent way to cut down screen time and avoid the bias of the mainstream media.
The things that I like about listening to podcasts are they share different perspectives that make me think, and inspire creativity, and listening helps me learn better.
Most of the podcast episodes are of few minutes so you can definitely try listening to them.
Some of the good podcasts for self-improvement are:
Self Improvement Daily– They have a daily episode on self-improvement of just 2 minutes.
7 Good Minutes – They have a daily episode on self-improvement of 7 minutes.
Daily Mastery– They have episodes on productivity, grow your leadership, and self-growth.
Tip 8: Express gratitude
Expressing gratitude brings a sense of contentment in life, One of the most toxic things to do is complain about life and feel unsupported. Expressing gratitude even for 5 minutes every day does not let one fall into a negative cycle that does no good to one except distracting one from goals and sabotage.
Expressing gratitude improves your mood, brings positivity to life, and helps against depression and anxiety. It improves your relationships and makes you happier.
There are a few ways to express gratitude, but the best ways to do under 5 minutes are:
- Gratitude journaling:
Spend 5 minutes listing down everything you are grateful for in life.
- Express in person:
Even for a small act of kindness or support extended by anyone. Let them know you are thankful for it. You can tell them in person if you stay together or just make a phone call and tell them. If you still can’t make it just drop a short text to let them know. It will make them happy and spread kindness around.
9: Do nothing
Often we think it is all about doing work and getting things done but without realizing we are exposing ourselves to stress and eventually burnout by constantly running around the clock. It is good to take a 5-minute break to do nothing. Just sit ideal looking at the wall or with your eyes closed. It really makes a big difference to your well-being. Most time all the overwhelm you are suffering just needs a 5-minute break.
Doing nothing for 5 minutes not only calms and relax you but studies have found them to improve problem-solving ability, improve creativity, and productivity.
10: Admire your vision board
I highly recommend making a vision board for yourself on your journey to make yourself better. Make a beautiful vision board of all that you want in your life. If like to know more about vision boards and how to make them you should read my post Steps to Create a Vision board that manifests your dream life, it includes cool printable to make it easier for you.
Every day spends 5 minutes looking at your vision board, it will be a visual reminder of your goals, and intentions. Admiring and living your vision board will nurture your mind to take action and make decisions to manifest your vision board. It will not let you get distracted from your visions due to routine life and inspire you to work towards achieving them and keep you focused towards making the better life that you wish for.
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Conclusion
So these are the 10 things to do in 5 minutes to improve your life. I am sure you will find these 10 tips to improve life very easy to implement in your life and stay consistent with them after all they just take 5 minutes. Once you start to practice you will gradually start to believe in the power of staring small and the improvement they bring in your life.
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