There’s not much glamour in this post, only practicality. Being efficient and effective is the name of this game. Here are five things you can do at work when you have five minutes that will make a difference in your day.
- Thank a coworker. I truly believe in and operate under the philosophy that we never accomplish anything alone. Meaning, I’ve never completed, delivered, created, etc. anything at work myself. I always have help and I’m guessing you do, too. So, when you find yourself with five minutes in between meetings or with just five minutes extra in your day, use it to thank a coworker. Send a short and sweet email, a thoughtful slack message, a quick text, whatever. This thank you will go a long way.
- Plan your next day. When it comes to productivity planning ahead is critical. If you start ahead you end ahead, you know? Planning your next day should take five minutes or less. Write a simple list of tasks that must be accomplished in priority order. When you log on the next day you’ll be set and ready to go.
- Move your body. I’m guessing that very few of you reading this have jobs where you’re not sitting at a desk, or at a chair in some sort of dedicated office space. That’s me, too. If you find yourself with an impromptu five minutes, use it to move your body. That could mean stretching, walking up and down your at-home stairs, jogging in place, etc. The research that proves exercise increases productivity is endless, so take this one seriously. (Extra bonus points if you schedule five minutes to move your body throughout the day!)
- Track your time. If you’re in consulting like me where billable hours and utilization percentages are an everyday conversation, you know what this means. Get your time in! It’s too often that people wait until the end of the week or end of the month. Do this task in your five minute window because that’s all it takes (max) and it goes a long way in helping your company understand month-to-month progress, plan for the future, etc. If you’re not in consulting, this is still important. Tracking your time means tracking how your time is being used throughout the day. Use this five minutes to inventory what you did, for how long, how often, etc. You can then reflect back at the end of each week and/or month and determine if you need to make any changes.
- Use the restroom. Yes, I included this. The number of times that I’ve found myself in a dire state thinking I’m going to pee my pants, then realizing I’m going to pee my pants with the end result of me showing up (or joining) a meeting late and a bit flustered is too many! Does this sound familiar? Moral of the story: even if you don’t think it’s necessary yet, but you’ve found five minutes free, use the restroom. Believe it or not, you’ll find yourself more present and effective in your other tasks.
There you have it, five things you can do at work in five minutes that will make a difference. I hope you find at least one that resonates with you and can incorporate into your day. Enjoy the extra productivity!
