Here’s How To Get Better At Anything In 5 Minutes
The other day, I was talking to a mentor of mine and she said, “My goodness, you just have RAW TALENT!”
I smiled and I took the comment in stride. But, I knew it was a dangerous statement. What she meant was that I seemed to glide in and do quite a few things well and with ease. Yes, she was right. But, there is something I’ve known for a long time.
It’s not possible to do everything well all of the time.
And that’s the rub for many people. They attempt everything and when they fail at one, they give up most things. Ouch!
So, in order to get momentum, I had to learn to choose one thing. I had to figure out where I was going to get my Gladwell hours, my 10,000 tipping point hours.
You’re human and so you will always have ideas and new shiny objects which will pique your interest. There will always be something to try. But you’ve got to figure out where you want to spend your 5 minutes.
5 minutes?
Yes, 5 minutes.
What I’m learning is that I can do almost anything for 5 minutes. I can exercise. I can speak. I can write. I can learn a new language. I can learn a song. I can develop a skill.
Most people want to do things but they start and then stop. They schedule a 30 minute workout but then life gets in the way and they miss it. So, they say, “Meh, I’ll just pick it back up tomorrow.”
But, what if you did it for just 5 minutes?
What if you could change your mindset by just taking 5 minutes to work on the project? You would make 5 minutes worth of progress.
But you’re not just making 5 minutes worth of progress. You’re incrementally building a mindset and compounding your efforts daily.
This compound effect allows you to make greater increases than if you were to only do a 35-minute effort once weekly.
Not making sense yet?
If I practice piano for 5 minutes daily, that equals 35 minutes per week. If I were to practice only on one day, I could feasibly practice for 35 minutes and get the same time effort. But, by doing it only once, I have 6 days in between where the muscle memory degrades, my mental capacity is crowded with other life efforts, and my warm up time makes my actual time less than 35 minutes.
But, if I went hard for 5 minutes daily, I have the daily effort at maximum.
Let’s think about it in another way.
What if I decided I was going to skip all of my meals daily and then (assuming 3 meals daily) eat 21 meals on Sunday? It’s technically the same amount of food. However, there are daily nutrient requirements which show up as hunger, making it more challenging to operate without them.
Life is going to happen. Obstacles will appear. But, if you want to grow, decide on a minimum of 5 minutes daily in the one area you want to see growth. Then go and ruthlessly get your 5 minutes no matter what.
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About The Author
My name is Robert Kennedy III. I’m a professional speaker and author. I speak and write mainly about leadership and communication. Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or on my website, RobertKennedy3.com
