5 Positive things you can accomplish in 13 minutes

Jan 08, 2013 10:56 AM by Patricia Conte

Posted in Holidays & Seasons / New Year's / New Year - Your Life

Don't think you have enough time to accomplish all you want to do? It only takes a bit of time to make great strides! In honor of the new year, 2013, here are five examples of productive things you can accomplish in about 13 minutes:

Journal

Take just a few minutes for yourself. At first that notion might be hard to imagine when you have a bunch of things that need to be taken care of, but once you get the hang of it, you might notice some benefits. You might find your thoughts and feelings become more clear after you spend time journaling. Time spent with pen to paper (or fingers to keys) can also help reduce stress (and who doesn't need that?). Another great benefit? You might begin to track patterns and behaviors that you can work to improve. For example, tracking what you eat and drink during the day can help you recognize how you might need to change your eating habits for the better. That could help you with weight loss and better nutrition.

Learn to journal your way to weight loss >>

Stretch

Can you think of a better way to ease into your day than some good stretching? According to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, morning stretches warm up your muscles and improve your range of motion. Others note it can relieve stress and get you ready to tackle the day. It only takes about 10 minutes to feel the benefits of stretching. From your neck down to your toes, it's something that doesn't require any equipment and just very little space. Morning isn't the only time for a good stretch. Check out these stretches you can easily do at your desk during the day.

Find the best mind-body workouts for the new year >>

Clear off your desk

When you desk is cluttered, your mind might feel a bit cluttered, too. This can inhibit productivity, not to mention make you less organized. Before shutting down at the end of the day, take a few minutes to tidy up your desk or work area. Even the simple things like putting pens where they belong, recycling papers you don't need and filing away some of the work you've completed, can be liberating when you sit down to work the next day.

Discover how to organize your clutter >>

Change the sheets on your bed (and get them in the laundry)

Talk about one of the easiest things you can do! It probably only takes about 13 minutes to strip the sheets from your bed, pop them in the washer and get clean sheets back on your bed. Sometimes it's easier to break tasks down, say in 13-minute increments, than it is to worry about how much time it's going to take you to get your whole house cleaned. When you think of it that way, what are you waiting for?

Check out these 9 secrets of successful organizers >>

Get together your to-do list for tomorrow

Who among us doesn't love the feeling of accomplishment when we tick something off our to-do list? It might seem like a small gesture, but it feels mighty good! Spend some time at the end of the day (or maybe the beginning) to create your list of items that need your attention. It will help keep you organized and can provide you with the sense that you have tackled a few obstacles. What a great feeling!

What can you accomplish in about 13 minutes? A lot!