We are all busy – there is never enough time in a day to fit in everything we want to do – in fact everyone is so busy, a whole industry has sprung up around ‘time management.’ But even though our day seems full to the brim, we all have small spaces – the five minutes waiting in line for your coffee to be made, the ten minutes you spend waiting for a meeting to start, or time spent on the train or bus travelling to work.

What do we tend to do with these small blocks of time? My guess would be that you probably log on to social media, play a game on your phone, or scroll through a news app.  What if we became more intentional with our time – using these small pockets to make a difference to someone else’s day, or improvements to your own.

• Send someone a quick email to compliment them about something you have noticed recently – a new hair style, or a job well-done.
• Text your partner or a friend to say you are thinking of them.
• Take a ten minute cat-nap (maybe not while you are in a queue for coffee.)
• Do a few stretches, or some gentle exercising – ten minutes a day, every day, is a lot better than no exercise at all.
• Start setting aside articles you might want to read ‘later’ – and when you have that ten minute slot – start reading one.
• Update your LinkedIn profile.
• Keep a journal with you – and write notes and lists of ideas to implement later.
• Meditate – Just a few minutes of sitting quietly, focusing on breathing, maybe chanting a few Oms can improve your outlook on the day.

Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day – but some use it more wisely than others. ‘Too much to do’ and ‘not enough time’ are words rarely said by successful people – they are successful because they make every minute count.

You can’t manage time – you can only manage yourself.