I’ve had a pretty ordinary week, with a couple of extraordinarily productive days. Looking at which days were productive, and which were just average, helped me to see a pattern. I’ve recently started setting my alarm clock, even though Edwin’s an early riser and I don’t really need it. My rationale was that if I got up at the same time every day, instead of potentially varying it by 30-40 minutes, I might re-tune my body clock so I feel more refreshed when I wake up. But it had an unintended side effect: on the days Edwin slept a little later than my alarm, I got a few minutes to write in the mornings. One day this week, I got a whole serendipitous hour. That was obviously the most productive day. But I found something interesting: even on the days I only got 5 minutes, I saw a big boost in productivity. 

What did I do with that 5 minutes? I looked at my writing to-do list, opened all the documents and web pages I’d need for the day, and refreshed my memory about where I was on each project. That was it: I set up my computer, and in doing so, I set up my mind.

Then I went to get Edwin, and we did our morning routine, which begins with a long snuggle in bed while my husband gets ready for work. (The kid usually gets up at 5:30, so building extra time in bed was necessary for my sanity.) Even though I was back in bed, however, my mind was turning over the projects I had set up for the day. I figured out what was bothering me about my query letter, and how to fix it. I composed some rough lines of dialogue for the scene I’m working on in my novel. I thought about my new blog tagline (it’s up!). I came up with a new idea for a blog post (this one!). And I didn’t feel like I was exerting any effort. The thoughts were just there, ready to be called, because I’d triggered them with my 5-minute preparation. Later, when I sat down to write, my brain and fingers flew. I got almost twice as much done as on an ordinary day.

In contrast, when I didn’t get the 5 minutes, my mind would still be a fuzzy blank when I started the day, and I didn’t start thinking about my writing projects until it was actually time to write. It was like trying to start running without any stretching or warm-up first, and of course, that led to slower progress and fewer overall accomplishments.

How true are Aristotle’s words: “Well begun is half done.” 

(Did Mary Poppins use that quote too, or am I just attributing it to her because it fits in with “A Spoonful of Sugar?” I need to watch that movie again.)

What’s your most productive 5 minutes? How do you use it? Can you do it every day?