Five minutes does not seem like a lot but when you attempt squats or the plank for that period of time, then you realize how long it truly is!! Here is a list of 30 productive things to do in five minutes or less that will definitely help make our lives better, degree by degree.
Plus, as always, a few books to help you on the way to higher productivity (and I read/will be reading them too as I need them). You will find this list in my bookish five section below.
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30 Productive Things to Do in Five Minutes
- Clean your inbox
- Stretch your muscles
- Make your bed
- Wipe a countertop/table/other similar space
- Delete old texts and voice mails
- Read a page or two of the book you have been meaning to read
- Write down your grocery shopping list
- Make a snack
- Do a DIY project /craft .. there are many fun ones you can find on youtube
- Doodle/sketch for five minutes
- Write down three things you are grateful for/made (or make) you happy
- Throw away expired items from your pantry/fridge
- Take a power nap!
- Make a list of gift ideas for upcoming events for friends/family
- Organize your photos (digital or otherwise).
- Declutter one shelf/drawer
- Call someone you haven’t for a while to say hello
- Clean the bathroom mirrors
- Back up your data (photos/other data)
- Upgrade the software systems on your devices. This will also mean you will stay away from that device for a bit, so you can…
- Take a short walk outdoors and get a breath of fresh air
- Empty the dishwasher (it only takes 5 minutes or less but seems longer)
- Read an article
- Listen to a podcast/talk – there are many short ones
- Put on your favorite song and dance to it.
- Come up with a few blog post ideas
- Learn something new – a new word in your language or another
- Read cool facts/trivia and/or a joke or two to share at the next get together with friends and family
- Make a short video or take some photos (maybe on that nature walk)
- Write down a list of things you can do in 5 minutes or so! And then do one of them for the next 5 minute break…:)
While some of these tasks might take longer if you get down to them, spending 5 minutes on them will help you get a head start and reduce the feeling of overwhelm.
The Bookish Memes Five…
For #s 1, 2, and 3…
When the Skies Rained Freedom by Annette Oppenlander (Historical fiction)
(Look out for a giveaway for this book soon on my blog!)
(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday
BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.
Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.
From the Introduction
From the first chapter:
3 Friday 56
THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice (currently by Anne at HeadFullofBooks) To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Freda’s Voice and visit others in the linky.
4 Book Blogger Hop
The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
How many books are on your “to-be-read” list?
Do I need to answer this one? TBH, I have no idea as I have way too many TBRs including:
- Goodreads and similar
- Pinterest boards
- Bookmarked pages with lists of books I want to read
- Spreadsheets (Google sheets and others)
- Notes on my phone
- Lists in an actual notebook (or two)
- etc
5. Other Bookish Things and Lists
- Reading the nonfiction finalists for the Cybils awards as a round 2 judge
- The productivity bookish list I mentioned earlier
- Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Dopamine Detox : A Short Guide to Remove Distractions and Get Your Brain to Do Hard Things
- The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
- Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
- The 5-Minute Productivity Journal: Little Challenges to Spark Motivation and Empower You
- The Time Chunking Method: A 10-Step Action Plan For Increasing Your Productivity
- Intelligent Change The Five Minute Journal
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, have you read the featured book? Or any of the books in the Cybils finalist list for nonfiction books for this past year? Or the productivity bookish list? Which of these 30 things were you tempted to get started on when you read the list? What would you add to this list?
Thank you for these quick tips! They’re simple yet impactful. Love the variety – there’s something for everyone. Easy to incorporate into a busy schedule. Keep sharing these bite-sized gems! 🌟
I love how practical and doable these tasks are, making it easy to squeeze them into my day.
What a great post! It seems so easy to just set aside 5 minutes to do something, but often we get busy or distracted. Thanks for the reminder.
Atomic Habits – my youngest daughter wanted that book, I haven’t heard about it from anyone but from her. I’ll buy it if I get the budget.
I will be printing this list and putting it on my fridge. I will be trying these items.
oh.. i think I should do the same too.. a physical reminder will be useful
I need to start doing these tasks! I have so much crap on my phone that needs to be deleted.
🙂 me too.. and I think some of those apps are the ones my kids installed when their phones run out of charge/data and they use mine to install stuff …
Five minutes maybe a short time to spend but when you enjoy and devote that time to what you like and interests you, its a long five minutes.
In order to accomplish these tasks, I need to get started right away!
These are awesome guide! And I totally agree, being productive is important especially when you’re still young!
I too need to kick start a few of these tasks now, especially cleaning my phone and email of old text and messages. I’m going to start back stretching my muscles also, I’m thinking about buying some new equipment.
I absolutely love the concept of making every five minutes count for productivity! The suggestions are not only practical but also varied, catering to different aspects of life. Cleaning a countertop, reading a page of a book, or even taking a short walk – these are simple yet effective ways to enhance daily life!
Goodness. I initially thought it was five minutes to do 30 things and already felt overwhelmed, then realized it was a list of things to do to spend five minutes doing and felt doable!
It is nice to set aside a productive time when you can. And I think having a short burst of productiveness is wonderful! These are all great ideas.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll try to do a lot of these things today.