5 Minutes Well Spent

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5 Minutes was all it took to change how I felt as I walked in my room and looked at my nightstand. Sometimes you just really need a win to start the momentum for more winning.

Last night I needed a little escape from my overwhelmingly long To Do list. While my husband was putting the kids to bed, I called my friend and asked her to wander around a few stores with me. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into her driveway and we were off to do some retail therapy.

The real therapy was just being able to chat with someone else in the thick of raising four kids and trying to do it well. We joked about how unrealistic our lists and expectations were for ourselves, how we had set ourselves up for disappointment. It was reassuring to remember that I wasn’t the only one who goes through this.

While we shopped, I found a little green basket. It sang to me. Since containers are my weakness, I wouldn’t let myself buy it until I knew exactly what I’d use it for. We stood there a little while brainstorming. I loved the basket, but I always force myself to step through the exact logistics of how it would work out. Where will it go? What will it hold? Is anything already there? Where will it be moved to? Most of the time this inner-conversation stops me from buying something. But not last night. Last night I thought of exactly how I would use this perfect-shade-of-green basket.

My nightstand was a mess. It had been bothering me for months. I just willfully ignored it most of the time, but the books mocked me whenever I caught sight of it. I haven’t read at my usual rate since my toddler was born more than a year ago, so the books have just been piling up. I came home from my quick night out with my friend and spent 5 minutes getting my nightstand under control. It was a win I needed.

Last night I followed my long-standing ritual and created today’s To Do list before going to bed. Then today I ignored most of it. I decided to take my kids swimming for hours. I sewed little pajama shorts for Cougar during his nap. I took one of my daughters out for sushi when my dinner meeting was cancelled last minute. I also did laundry and got to the bottom of my inbox.

See? Like I said: a little win can give you the momentum to keep winning. The break gave me perspective on what winning actually looked like.

Give yourself a 5 minute win today. And a break.

From my home to yours,
Mary