How to be creative in just 10 minutes

COVID-19 forcing people to work from home has altered everyone’s routine. This has created some “found” time that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Not having to commute to work coupled with not having people pop in for a chat or being drawn into a meeting or going out for lunch, we suddenly have some “pockets” of time opening up on our calendars.

It’s a kind of gift, really; an upside to an otherwise major disruption in our lives and routines.

How you choose to spend this “extra” time can make a difference in your outlook on life and your motivation. This is a great opportunity to do something for yourself during the workday; something far more rewarding than mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds or being drawn to the latest news update.

What’s amazing is how much you can accomplish in just a few minutes. We tend to discount short breaks, thinking they aren’t enough to really do anything. On the contrary, they can be transformational. 

Here are seven ideas for what you can do creatively for yourself in 10 focused minutes:

Do some art. One winter day, I looked outside and saw a frosted fairyland on the street below. We were experiencing “frozen fog” a phenomenon that happens when the temperature and humidity are just so, and everything stationary is covered with these tiny, needle-like ice crystals. I grabbed my camera and captured a number of magical images like this one. As I went back inside, the crystals vanished, as something changed, eliminating that magical balance that allowed them to form. How long was I outside? You guessed it: 10 minutes. Spend a few minutes on your art and enjoy both the break from work and the opportunity to create.

Discover a new recipe. Not being able to go out to eat comes with its share of plusses and minuses. On the plus side, we have the opportunity to cook better, healthier foods. With our found time, why not try something new? Maybe today is the day to try that recipe you’ve thought about for years. Or try this: enter what ingredients you have on hand into Google and see what recipe suggestions pop up. While your life has been shifted in a new direction, try shifting the dishes you serve at home.

Write a book. Many people have a book they want to write “one day”. When are you planning on starting it? Why not now? The average person types 40 words a minute. The average novel is around 60,000 words and if you’re writing 400 words a day during your 10-minute break, you’ll be ready to publish your book in only six months. (Note: I followed a similar routine to get my first book completed.) 

Take a walk. Not having the usual office routine means we can easily sit for hours in front of our screens. This is a bad idea on many levels. Where sitting down can hamper creative thinking, walking facilitates it. Walking fosters divergent thinking by opening neural pathways for finding unique solutions to problems. Where you walk is less important than the fact you are walking. While walking outside may be more interesting and pleasant, you can get the same boost to your creativity by walking indoors. 

Read a book, any book. The average book – fiction and nonfiction alike – is around 60,000 words. On the low side, people read at least 200 words a minute. At that pace, you are reading 2000 words every 10 minutes. You can knock out a book in 30 days. Not bad. And that’s only if you read for 10 minutes a day.

Learn a language. Ever wanted to learn a new language or brush up on one you may have studied long ago? Thanks to some great applications like Duolingo, you can learn any number of languages on your smartphone. Free, self-paced, and no tests – just the opportunity to expand your mind a new way. One lesson in Duolingo takes around 10 minutes to complete. You may surprise yourself at how easy it is to learn a language when you just try and keep at it faithfully.

Just take time to think. Many of the greatest minds we know took time to think: Newton, Einstein, Disney. All of them had breakthrough concepts come to them when they were just taking time to think. I commissioned a research study a few years ago where participants were asked to take at least one 10-minute break a day for 30 days, away from devices, with nothing more than a pencil and paper. They were asked to write whatever was on their mind during this 10-minute pause. At the end of the study, the participants found they were significantly more satisfied with life, more motivated and felt more creative – just from taking time to think. Pretty powerful results from a short break.

It’s truly amazing just how much we can accomplish in only 10 minutes. As a result of recent events we cannot control, we have been given the gift of time that a few weeks ago wasn’t obviously available to us. Being purposeful with our time has immense personal and creative rewards associated with it - if we take advantage of the opportunity.

About the author

Dennis Hodges is the founder/CEO of Creatalyst, a global strategy boutique, that teaches executives, educators, students and entrepreneurs how to unlock their innate creativity and drive innovation in their organizations and personal lives. During the COVID-19 crisis, he is offering his keynotes and workshops through webinars. And it works!

He is the author of “11 ? Ways to Ignite Your Creativity” (Spartan Press, 2018), creates the YouTube video series “Creative Nibble”, and is an award-winning photographer.

www.creatalyst.com