Reality Check: Nothing Takes Five Minutes
Not answering an email or brushing your teeth
Twenty-four hours in a day. No more, no less. Ideally, we should be spending 8–10 of those in “downtime” mode and sleeping. Relaxation throughout the remaining hours is also essential to productivity and happiness.
In the midst of what’s left, we underestimate how much time everything we need to do — work tasks, household duties, making appointments, etc. — actually takes. If you’re one of those who regularly runs late, it’s likely due to miscalculation of how long getting your shoes on and making sure the dog’s water bowl is full takes. And you probably don’t account for interruptions, either.
Even the “small things” wreak havoc on our daily plans. And the reason — albeit simple — is sometimes difficult to understand. The reality is:
Nothing takes five minutes.
Not sending a quick text or hopping into the grocery store for that one staple you forgot during the weekly stock-up trip. Not speed showering, making a quick cup of coffee before darting out the door, or taking “two minutes” to finish typing that email.
Nothing proves this better than a client or boss asking you to stop everything to perform one quick task. The stopwatch starts as soon as you quit what you are…
