July 13th, 2009 in Featured, Productivity

10 Ways To Be Productive in 10 Minutes

Most of my free time, except when I’m doing it on purpose, tends to come in short blocks. I rarely have 2 hours free, but might, over the course of a work day, have those same two hours in twelve ten-minute bursts.

I realized recently that, for the most part, I waste all of this free time. Since it’s such a short period of time, it seems to not strike me as worth using productively. I spend those ten minute periods doing things like staring aimlessly at the computer screen, picking my nose, or trying to remember what on Earth I have to do in ten minutes. I’m a big fan of periodically doing this (zoning out for a while’s my favorite way to launch back into productive work), but I started to notice that, over the course of a day or week, that time really does add up.

So I developed a list of ten things to do with ten minutes. Now, when I’ve got a few minutes to spare or kill, I run down this list, and do one or two of them – it makes my time more productive, and tends to give me longer blocks of free time later, because I’ve already finished all the quick tasks that tend to pile up at the end of my task list.

Make a Phone Call

Since most of us seem to be near a phone just about 24 hours a day, and always seem to have someone we should or have to call, free moments are the natural time to make a few phone calls. Only having ten minutes is a nice bonus – it makes sure you’re not going to get into some long, drawn-out conversation you’d rather not have. Whether you need to follow up on something, make a plan, or just catch up with a friend, phone calls can be done quickly, and anywhere.

Cook

If you’ve got a few minutes, make yourself some food, either for now or for later. Sometimes I’ll make lunch for the next day, or just throw together a snack for when I inevitably get hungry (usually a point when I don’t have ten seconds to spare, much less ten minutes). Having something around to munch on, or having the cooking process started, makes it all go faster when I need it to.

Nap

I’m a huge proponent of cat-naps, and anyone who says they don’t work is a dirty liar. Put your head down, close your eyes, and go to sleep. Sure, you’ve only got ten minutes, but who cares? The simple act of closing your eyes, clearing your head and relaxing (more akin to meditation) is hugely beneficial, as is even a few minutes of sleep. You’ll come back rejuvenated, in a better place to do more later.

Read Something

Keep a reading list somewhere accessible. I used to have a bookmarks file on my computer called “Read Later”; now I use Instapaper. Wherever you keep it, keep a list of things you want to read of watch, and plow through a few of them in spare moments. Applications like Instapaper are great because they have mobile versions, but any list you can come up with works.

Write Emails

This is much the same as phone calls – we’ve all got emails we could write, even if they’re not absolutely essential this very second. For me, at least, I hate writing emails longer than about six sentences, so I tend to leave them off as long as possible. I realize, though, that in ten minutes I can write a number of emails, and get through a good chunk of my “Reply To” list. Makes other people happy, and makes me feel more productive. Win-win.

Strike Up a Conversation

If you’ve got nothing to do, why not go build up a relationship? Maybe it’s the person in your neighbor cubicle, or maybe it’s the girl behind the counter at the coffee shop – whoever it is, strike up a conversation. Time flies, and who knows? You might just meet someone fascinating.

Clean Up

The single most productive thing I do in these in-between times is organize. In ten minutes, it’s ridiculous how much filing I can get done, or how much email purging and sorting I can get through. Pick one area or one task, and plow through it. I try to clear my desk in ten minutes, and almost always find I can. Usually I just throw everything away, but that’s beside the point. Ten minutes is more than enough time to make a huge dent in even the biggest piles of junk.

Brainstorm

Brainstorming and mind mapping are great ways to spend a few spare minutes, and are great because you can do either with almost anything: a computer, paper, a napkin, or whatever you might find at hand. Just start writing stuff – what do you have to do? What cool ideas do you have? You’ll be amazed how much comes out, and how quickly, when you just sit there and start writing. Or, try making a list of 100, a list centered around a particular topic (say, Ideas for Making Millions) that’s exactly 100: no more, no less. Only having ten minutes makes the ideas fly out, and you’ll be amazed how good they are.

Stumble

StumbleUpon, a website/toolbar that takes you to random webpage after random webpage, is frequently single-handedly credited with the downfall of Western Civilization. You know what? I’m cool with that. Stumbling is a great way to learn new things, expose yourself to interesting Web tidbits you’d never find otherwise, and broaden your horizons of all things Web. Spend a few minutes with StumbleUpon, and I guarantee you’ll learn something.

Journal

I kept a journal for a long time, and then stopped once I discovered I’m not interesting in the least. Now I wish I hadn’t stopped – who knows who might one day find it interesting, or when I’ll want to look back? Instead of a long-form journal (though I highly recommend keeping one if it works for you), just take a few minutes and write down a few high- and low-lights of the day. Usually, just jot down the first few things that come to mind about your life since you wrote last. In a year, ten years, or a hundred, you’ll be glad you did.

What do you do to fill in the blanks, and make use of these short bursts of free time?

Photo: Vahid Rahmanian

David Pierce

David Pierce is a college student, freelance writer, and lover of all things Web-based. He blogs about the digital world at The 2.0 Life, and can frequently be found on Twitter .

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Ugh says on July 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I cannot believe this post got published.
Might as well add a few more: breath in/breath out, blink, go to the bathroom, get gas in the car.
What all of us in the “real world” need to notice is: “David Pierce is a college student”, and I read it this way: “David Pierce doesn’t really have a clue yet.”
Sorry kid (nothing personal), but major site post FAIL! Better luck next time… :(
David Pierce says on July 13th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
@Ugh-
I don’t understand your point. The sole idea here is that these are things that often get forgotten in the moments when we have time for them, but are actually useful ways to spend a few free minutes.
What’s the problem there? Sure, I’m a college student – does that disqualify me from figuring out how to make the best use of the ten minutes before I run out for dinner? Other people don’t have that situation? I’m trying to learn how to make the best use of my time, and found that over and over, I was tired, bored, without food, and way behind on all manner of correspondence. So I figured I’d share – I can’t be the only one who’s ever felt that way, right?
We’ve all got those little snippets of free time, whether in the “Real World” (which, frankly, really isn’t any different) – let’s use them well!
I get a lot of flack here for being a college student, actually – somehow people think that makes me the wrong person to talk about, well, anything. But why’s that? Have I never done anything, ever, in my life, that would be relevant to someone else?
-David
stickysteph says on July 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
now, now. no need to hate!
i thought this was a good reminder of how much time we all lose throughout the day. sure, maybe none of the items are revolutionary…but i know i will be more aware of time i am wasting today – and i’m going to try to do something about it!
thanks, jason!
woody says on July 13th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Studies have shown that the smell of peppermint and rosemary increased factory productivity so a college student took the idea and ran with it. He created Think Gum! Check it out at http://www.thinkgum.com
Jamie Isfeld says on July 13th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
On the contrary, I found this post to be quite enjoyable. I tend to waste my ten-minute breaks, so this would be a beneficial list for me to follow instead.
Mischa Coster says on July 13th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I, too, find this a useful tip. I started inserting “10 min” and “30 min” tags into my GTD system (Things) a few months ago. I use this tag as a filter in my next actions list to ‘fill up the gaps’ in my daily planning. Works great!
dextercool says on July 13th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
enjoyed the article – i often prompt myself in free 5 minute bubbles of time with “what can you be usefully doing in the meantime ?” [ it sound better in context].
Another slightly related idea is counting in >seconds< how long it takes to do mildly unpalatable tasks – say wash the dishes. One’s Inner Procrastinator [IP]may pipe up with ‘you just don’t have time for that right now” but just time how long it takes to wash & rinse a plate under the tap {use the 1-mississippi, 2-mississippi method to time in seconds}. Your IP will be shamed into silence by how few seconds, that’s right, *seconds* it takes to do things that your IP estimates at 5 mins (for some reason the IP way-overestimates how long it takes to do certain things as a way to make you avoid them just as the Inner Last Minute Merchant [ILMM] often underestimates. Proper timing of actual times it actually takes to take actual actions is amazing at tethering your brain to reality.
Joe says on July 13th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
David,
I enjoyed your post as well and I’ve added a tab to my OneNote planner listing some of your suggestions and some of my own. These minutes do add up and can make a difference. One book I read suggested when you go to meetings or have appointments bring something to read while you wait. This too is good advice and something people seem to miss.
I teach at a college and I know how much students need time management. It seems as if David is already ahead of the game by thinking about these things. I wish more of my students did this on their own.
Keep up your posts.
Tom says on July 13th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Hi,
I find masturbation is a great way to kill ten minutes. Well, less than that actually, which would leave me time for other stuff!
Which makes me think we shouldn’t be limiting ourselves to only one thing in the ten minutes.
Maybe we could get a bit of competition going here. See who can get the most stuff done in six hundred seconds. Doesn’t sound so much when you say it like that, eh?
Wonder how many times I could jack off …
Tim Metz says on July 13th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I think David has a good point, but I can also understand Ugh’s point. Because if you’re extremely busy and you’re already doing everything you can to be more productive (for example keeping careful track of your time), you will have noticed that you can get A LOT done in 10 minutes. Much more than a phone call, emails, etc.
In fact, when I started tracking my time, one of the most important discoveries was how much you can actually get done in less than 10 minutes. There’s a whole bunch of tasks that I would always delay because they seemed (in my mind) to require a lot of time to get done, but in fact most of them can get done in 10 dedicated minutes (or 2 or 3x 10 mins).
So I agree that it’s very important to use those 10 minutes that you have everywhere during your week, but I would add a whole bunch of different tasks to this list (work on a proposal, prepare a presentation, etc.).
mattsos says on July 14th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I find not showering and wearing the same clothes every day to be my most effective time savers.
Celes | CelestineChua.com says on July 14th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
David, this is an interesting twist from the general productivity posts at Stepcase. I personally found 10 minute naps in particular to give me a quick boost, so that does help.
On a similar note, I just wrote a piece on 50 ways to boost productivity at http://celestinechua.com/blog/.....n-50-ways/, which Stepcase readers might be interested in reading too.
Jeff says on July 14th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Regarding the comment about the author being a college student, I found my time management issues to be far more difficult as working college student me than as attorney me. Typical day: wake up go to work for 8am, go to class 10:30am, get lunch 12pm, go back to class 1pm, go back to work 3pm, get dinner 6pm, go to evening job 8pm to 2am. Try squeezing in studying, laundry, hygiene, and general life in between those everyday hard targets.
I was far more useful of my time during that period. I even copyied my textbooks at the beginning of the semester so I could study on the fly for 3 minutes while filling my gas tank.
Michael Deutch says on July 16th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Nice article. I’ve recently experimented with the Pomodoro Technique which advocates working for 25 minutes and taking 5 minute breaks. While an earlier comment jokes about ‘breathing’, that’s what I do. Recharge, rest, breathe, let go. During the 25 minutes, that’s when I’m making my mind maps! Why wait for breaks for creative inspiration and to organize your thoughts. Make it a way of life! A little disclaimer, I work for Mindjet and write about mind maps in the Mindjet blog.
Dario says on July 17th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Just a comment on the first point: make a call. Well, the fact that you have a few spare 10 minutes and want to fill the gap until you get busy with some other tasks doesn’t mean actually that the person at the other end of the line is in the same condition. As a matter of fact I hate receiving calls from people that are in the car and call me to fill their spare time: because chances are that I am actually busy! And I’d have to stop some activity to talk with someone who is filling is schedule gap! I find it impolite. My policy for calls is:
1. If it is a business call: schedule in advance with the other person (so that it will fit in both persons’ agendas)
2. If it is a “leisure” call: make it in hours where typically people is not busy (e.g. not in office hours).
In both cases the first advice would not be applicable.
For the rest, I enjoyed the article.
Ciao from Italy.
Valerie says on July 20th, 2009 at 9:55 am
This is a great reminder. My favorite tip is the Instapaper link. I scan a lot of articles during the workday, but rarely find time to read and reflect on them. Instapaper will allow me to keep track of what I find interesting during the day, and review and reflect on these things when I am at home. This blog entry is the first thing I have marked to read later in my new Instapaper account. Thank you.
Anca says on July 21st, 2009 at 5:38 am
Considering the times we are living we have to use our time as efficiently as possible. I have found an interesting survey that described what are the reasons employee waste time at work. Ok, this is a specific area, but, it can be extended http://blog.cyclope-series.com.....stop-them/
Used Trucks says on July 21st, 2009 at 9:00 am
Haha, i tend to waste my free time on sites like this instead ;) i should use Trucklocator as a useful way of filling it
Amity says on July 21st, 2009 at 11:55 am
I breathe deep during my free time, I try all kinds of yoga breathing, which calms me down and prepares me for the next project.
aaronpenne says on July 22nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm
These are great! meditating for a bit works well, just some deep breathing and chilling out. same effect as the nap like you said. the 100 ideas in 10 minutes things is awesome! such cool results.
thanks for the reminders to keep my stuff on lock
van dealer says on July 30th, 2009 at 11:56 am
most of these advocate doing something for the sake of it; i dont get how thats productive?
Luke VandeBunte says on August 1st, 2009 at 11:38 am
Brainstorming is a great one. Keeping a Moleskine in your back pocket is a great way to keep all of your ideas in one place.
jonathanfigaro says on August 2nd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Brain storming is an excellent way to use your time wisely. Being able to jot down new and brilliant ideas from you mind is priceless.
But its sad not may people do such wonderful things…Any one agree?
Karin says on August 11th, 2009 at 6:52 am
If the whole world used 10 minutes positively and productively the world would be a better place. Great concept and great post.
Multitasking says on September 8th, 2009 at 2:04 am
Great article from David Pierce.
May I offer the following “steps” to help you become productive?
1. Take control over technology
Your cell phone ringer (even on vibrate) doesn’t need to be on all the time. You can turn off email notification on your computer as well. Become master over the nagging beeps and buzzes by creating some silence.
2. Schedule what you can schedule
Set regular times in the day and week to check your voicemail and email. Let others know that you will be using that schedule so they know when to expect a reply.
3. Focus on the person
When you switchtask when dealing with a computer, you simply lose efficiency. But if you switchtask on a human being, you additionally damage a relationship. Be present, listen carefully, and make sure everything has been taken care of before moving on.
Dave Crenshaw
Author of The myth of multitasking
Productivity Coaching
Time Management Expert