November 23

1 comments

The Five-Minute Hack

Here's a fun hack you can use for a variety of occasions.

Want to stop practicing even though you know you can do more? Tell yourself, "Five more minutes, then I'll see how I feel."

After all, everyone can spare five minutes.

Want to eat that cookie even though you know you're trying to drop some pounds? Tell yourself, "I'll wait five minutes and see if I still feel like it."

After five minutes, your rational mind has a chance to talk some sense into you. 

Want to send an angry email to your boss telling him off once and for all? Wait five minutes, take a few deep breaths, and see how you feel. 

Side note: There's nothing wrong with telling your boss off...long as you do so kindly and with dignity.

Sometimes, five minutes can make all the difference.

Leave a Comment

Never miss a blog post!

For parents, students, and anyone else who believes that music can and should be a meaningful part of everyone's life.

About Jonathan Roberts

I am the founder and director of the South Shore Piano School, and I have been teaching the piano for nearly 20 years. My work centers around bringing music to the lives of kids, parents, and adults in an enriching, meaningful way. At the South Shore Piano School, my incredible colleagues and I accomplish this through skill-based teaching, community, and an innovative, people-first business model. You can read more about me here.

Tags

You may also like

The Weekly Review

How did this past week go? What’s something you could have done better? What can you change this week to do that thing better? And how will you make sure you stick to it? Weekly reviews aren’t sexy, by any means. But they’re effective. Do it for a couple months, and you’ll be astounded by the results.

Read More

When 2 + 2 = 10

When it comes to practicing, most people don’t get how time works. People think the amount of practice time is most important. Rather than the frequency. Logic tells us this: Practicing 5 minutes for six days would be the same as practicing 30 minutes for one day. It adds up to the same total minutes, so the benefits are the same.

Read More
Leave a Reply

  1. I do a little variation of this w exercise or something I don’t really want to do. I tell myself, Do “it” for 5 mins and then see how I feel!! If I really want to stop, I give myself permission to “after 5 mins”!!! I can tell u, I VERY RARELY stop whatever I’ve given myself permission to stop doing!.

    So, I’m guessing either waiting five mins up front or after u get going, that 5 mins gets us to thinking about what really is in our best interest.

    Reply