Wednesday, September 15, 2010

blocks of 15

I hope you've been finding fifteen minutes to follow a passion, make progress on a project, or take time out for yourself.
as I've been taking my own advice and using fifteen minute blocks, I'm realizing I have a couple faulty beliefs.
I believed what I was told-
"if you can't do it 'right', don't do it at all,"
which led me to believe-
if you can't finish a task/project completely, it's not worth starting.
which led me to-
perfection thinking.
I think I'm ready to leave those limiting beliefs behind and keep my eyes looking forward.

I've learned that in fifteen minutes I can:
*walk to school
*pick up the house each morning
*send special notes to friends
*work on my Christmas quilt, one. step. at. a. time.
*mow the front lawn
*put away two loads of laundry
*take a power nap

I'd love to hear what you found you can do in fifteen minutes.

19 comments:

At Home Mommy Knits said...

I have learned to start timing the chores I don't like because a lot of them don't take longer than 15 minutes. It helps when I am talking myself into doing them that I know it will only take 15 minutes. Unfortunately when it comes to pampering 15 minutes isn't nearly enough but I'll take what I can get :)

NessaKnits said...

Vacuumn the carpet steps. Put the oven timer on and work flat out for 15 minutes ...

The WoodLand School said...

I just love the idea of breaking difficult tasks down into 15-minute chunks! It certainly takes the pain out of those tedious tasks!

In my 15 minutes I have been able to: check through my e-mails, pop in to visit a few blogs, and call an elderly friend to check in.

Thanks for the inspiration :-)

Valula said...

What a good post! It hadn't occurred to me to divide my day up like that but it sure does make things seem much more manageable

:-)

stitching under oaks said...

well....15 minutes isn't enough time to talk to my friend for as long as I'd like. so I guess, in 15 minutes I can unload the dishwasher, fold a load of laundry, and wipe up my counters. Then I'll have time to sit and knit.

~ The Jolly Bee ~ said...

And I got your sweet note in the mail the other morning. Oh, it made me smile. Thanks so much for the kind thoughts.

You are so right about just how much can be packed into 15 minutes -- and the sense of accomplishment is so worth the 15 minutes of effort.

Jessica Lynn said...

I LOVE THIS KRISTYN! I needed this! I often have a 'perfection or nothing' mentality. I'm trying to kick that negative habit, and remember that slow and steady wins the race. You seem to have a firm grasp on that concept--look at all that you have already accomplished this year. xo

Jessica Lynn said...

Oh and I love your new header. Perfect!

Gigi said...

So smart! The 15 minute 'rule' helps me get a start on looming paper work (I'd rather eat a bug [almost ;)] than do paper work -- bills, bank statements, taxes - blech!), and also helps me dive into the ever messy 'room of shame' -- which is the office/craft room/big mess in our house (where all the dreaded paper work & other unorganized stuff lurks).

Leslie said...

Such an inspiring idea! I just finished loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters which was about 15 min. I want to figure out more ways to incorporate this into my thinking!

From All Stitched Up said...

I've been thinking about the 15 minute plan all day: I can water all my plants, pick up and put away alot of things left lying around, laundry always works in 15 min and my best one if I put 15 minutes in each day my sewing room might soon be cleaned up !

Stephanie said...

I've learned that in 15 mins I can either check emails or blogs, put at least one basket of laundry away, straighten up my sewing table, vacuum, or take a quick 15 min power nap... sometimes that may be all I get, not by choice.. but it helps :) It's amazing how many different things you can do in just 15 mins.

rosemary said...

hmmmm, i've just been puttering around doing what needs to get done, you know the little things that get forgotten!
great post!!

Larissa said...

Great post Kristyn! These days I seem to have the 15 minutes for the "must do" chores but can barely find a second for the fun stuff. The good part is that I get to spend many mondays and fridays with my kiddos - budget cuts mean we have 24 fewer school days this year. We were all home yesterday and we had a blast - but no crafting (oh well...)

I think i'll spend the rest of the day doing things in 15 minute intervals and see if i can get more done. Take care and thank you again for the sweet, sweet card - i love looking at the zebra!

Gloria said...

I have tried to take your 15 minute idea and work on sewing baby shower gifts. It did certainly help!!! Although...the other night I stayed up sewing until 4:30 a.m. to finish a gift!!! That is what procrastination can do! Not too smart for the health, but I did finish it in time for the baby shower. :)

Rebekah said...

I've been trying to do 15 minutes of things lately. It's really amazing how many things you can get accomplished if you actually start working on something than sitting around thinking about how much time it will take to finish a particular task.

I must admit that the 15 minute power nap is the best thing on your list, though :)

Ally Jay said...

I find that with fifteen minutes I can chat with my youngest and enjoy a cuppa at the same time. Then I can start on the chores.
I also found that I could just about manage to have a bubble bath in my lunch hour, (I only work five minutes from home) once a week and boy does that feel decadent.

amanda said...

I am guilty of making self-imposed limits too. If I can't knit a few inches it isn't worth picking up the needles! I'm actually slightly better now that I'm working and have less time on my hands. It amazes me now how much I can get sorted before i leave the house at 8:30 am!

a friend to knit with said...

i am going to spend 15 minutes knitting. right now! :)