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Half an hour is enough...

8/23/2018

6 Comments

 
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed recently.
 
I have a new baby, I’m running my business, and we don’t have any family support around us.
 
It can get a bit much from time to time.
 
I was talking with our public health nurse recently, and she said:
“Make sure you’re taking time for yourself.
 
Even if it’s just half an hour.
 
Even if you just take a bath - make sure you are taking time for yourself.”
 
I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I decided to test it out later.
 
That evening, I took half an hour off.
 
I gave myself a break.
 
From the baby... from worries... from my business... from chores…
 
I left the baby with my partner, put on some meditation music, lit a few candles, and took a loooong bath.
 
And whaddya know?!
 
I came out feeling totally refreshed.
 
Now this isn’t new, by any means!
 
But I wanted to remind you of something:

So often we think we have to go ALL IN.
 
We have to spend hours on our project or goal each day, or it won't be worth it.
 
So I want to challenge you on that.

Don't worry about doing hours and hours and hours. 
 
Just do half an hour!
 
If you’re trying to get fitter, do half an hour of working out.
 
Do it once a week if that’s all the time you have - or once a day if you can.
 
Work on your side-hustle or project for half an hour a week, if that’s all you have.
 
Great if you can do more!
 
See if you can squeeze in half an hour a day!
 
But don’t get caught up in the belief that half an hour isn’t enough.
 
That it won’t get you far.
 
It will.
 
I wrote this blog post in about half an hour.
 
I could have wasted the time on social media – and then told myself I didn't have time.
 
 So here’s my challenge for you today:

  1. Try to carve out half an hour for yourself this week.
    ​
  2. Use it wisely, on something that will move you forward.
 
Whatever that looks like for you!
 
It might be 30 minutes of:

  • working on your business
  • writing another paragraph of your novel
  • dancing around your living room or another form of movement
  • staring up at the ceiling doing nothing and giving your brain a chance to rest
  • laughing at a comedy show
  • having a luxurious bath
  • wandering in nature with no specific purpose
  • working on crafts or creating something with your hands...
 
Don’t worry about doing A LOT.
 
Just do half an hour.
 
And then another half hour, if you can.

So now over to you...
 
What will you do in YOUR half an hour?
 
I’d love to hear!
 
Here’s to small bursts, rather than arduous sessions we never quite get round to…
 
Claire
 
PS – If you’re already pretty good at carving out half an hour, why not block off a morning or afternoon devoted entirely to you and your project?

​If you liked this post, you may also like:
Stop waiting for the "perfect" moment
5 reasons you might be stuck on your project/goal

6 Comments
Priscilla Bettis link
8/23/2018 10:54:35 am

I had to laugh as I read this because I actually took a half hour break today and soaked in a hot bath while reading! It was wonderful.:-)

Reply
Claire @ The Five Percent link
8/23/2018 08:34:30 pm

Haha - love this, Priscilla! That's so funny! Yes to reading in a hot bath! Good for you for treating yourself/taking some time out <3

Reply
Stephanie Monahan
8/23/2018 12:40:17 pm

I took half and hour which turned into an hour to map out some start-up materials for my coaching business.

I totally embrace your 'less can be more' approach. Some days I get 3 or 4 1/2 hours in. Some days I get none. The new hting I'm working in to my 1/2 hour time frames is some weight-lifting. Nothing crazy,-- just doing some bicep curls, tricep extensions and abs. Less walking and more strength work.

Reply
Claire @ The Five Percent link
8/23/2018 08:36:59 pm

Hey Stephanie, fantastic!!!! That's awesome. I'm so happy to hear that. Ha and that's the thing - sometimes a quick half hour turns into something more, without us even trying.

That's a really cool idea about the weight-lifting - good for you! I hope your biz work is going well, and wishing you lots of luck and success with the strength training!

Reply
Meg link
5/11/2019 07:38:21 am

I like this a lot. I agree that taking a small step to achieve what you want to is more effective (esp at first) than trying to bite off more than you can chew, or make every action monumental in scale. For me, it's been practicing jazz piano. I procrastinate and doubt my abilities, but I'll get myself to do just even 15 mins of playing, and then most of the time, that's enough to remind myself that I do know what I'm doing. It also reminds me that spending time on that skill makes me better at that skill, so it builds my confidence. But back to the point- starting smaller is definitely effective!

Reply
Claire @ the five percent link
5/22/2019 03:51:53 pm

Hey Meg, your comments are spot on. Jazz piano sounds amazing, by the way! And you're so right - even 15 minutes of playing is great (and quite often we do more than that once we've started). It's funny how confidence / our thoughts can derail us doing the things we love to do. I'm a big fan of starting small... and before you know it, you're pretty damn good! ;)

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