Yes! Living your best life can start with simple 5-minute habits. I am a huge fan of easy micro-habits that don’t require a whole new lifestyle overhaul, but rather, fit nice and tidy into the lifestyle you already have.
Such brief daily rituals might just be the spark that ignites your life glow-up. Achieving your big goals doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process—small, consistent actions can make a huge impact.
In this guide, I’ll share with you some of the 5-minute habits I practice, which have had a positive impact on me.
As well as suggestions for other quick habits (like habit-stacking!) to activate your motivation.
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What Are 5-Minute Habits?
5-minute habits are just as they sound – quick actions you can get done, or add into your routine that take no longer than 5 minutes to perform.
Forget 3-mile morning runs and 2 hour closet organizing, sister! 5-minute habits involve things you can take action on and complete NOW.
Why Practicing 5-Minute Habits Can Be A Smart Life Hack
You are busy. And if you’re like me, you get a bit overwhelmed just by the thought of how many things you “could” be doing to improve your life. So much so that it’s easy for you to get vanquished by it all and you’ll end up doing nothing instead.
When you’re stuck in this state, ‘doing nothing’ can take many forms. It could be doom scrolling on TikTok, letting your laundry pile up, ignoring texts, and sleeping in.
That’s why quick 5-minute habits can be such a great motivator. It’s just quick enough that it doesn’t feel like a chore, and impactful enough that it’s more likely to stick.
Benefits Of Practicing 5-Minute Habits
One of the greatest benefits of tiny habits is their ability to tackle procrastination.
Committing to just five minutes of a task you’ve been avoiding, like organizing one drawer of laundry rather than the whole closet, can make it feel less daunting and more manageable.
This small step can trick your mind into starting and often leads to naturally doing even more. Another advantage of micro habits is that even a short, consistent practice can effect significant benefits over time.
Activities like walking on your treadmill, gratitude journaling, stretching, or writing a chapter of your book can provide positive effects with just a five-minute daily commitment, especially when maintained consistently over a year.
By allocating just five minutes to each activity, you can incorporate more beneficial routines into your daily schedule. I love this approach because it maximizes productivity and allows a variety of positive practices, which keeps things interesting.
The 5-Minute Habits That Have Changed My Life
The following micro-habits have had a big impact on my life, business and mood.
1. Plan Your Day In 5-Minutes With A Bullet List
Whenever I begin my day with a quick bullet list of intentions for the day ahead, I find that I consistently complete them.
Having a visual list of what needs to be done greatly increases the likelihood of accomplishing each task.
Spending a few minutes to plan your most important tasks will greatly improve your focus!
2. Simple 5-Minute Journaling
Journalling has many benefits, and five minutes a day is truly all you need on it!
Take five minutes each day to jot down three things you’re grateful for. Then, whenever you’re feeling low, read your list for an instant mood boost.
Can’t think of anything to write? Use this digital journal which comes with a ton of life questions you can answer. Not only will it get your creative frequency going but it’s also fun.
It also includes space to track your dreams, gratitude lists, goals, vision boards, and more.
3. 5-Minute “Closing Shift” Before Going To Bed
Just as a bartender needs to tidy up the bar before closing for the night, you can perform the closing shift of your home.
So before you turn off the lights and head to bed, spend 5 minutes to fill and turn on the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, and put clutter away.
If you have clothes lying around your bedroom, hang them/toss them in the laundry bin.
Waking up to a tidy bedroom and kitchen has massive positive effects on your overall mood and the day ahead.
4. Practice The “Now Not How” mentality
Noah Kagan states in his book Million Dollar Weekend, that if you want to get anything done, you need to take action FAST and implement it right away.
Don’t let progress-halting thoughts of ‘how could this work?’ get in the way of you starting, experimenting and figuring it out as you go.
He calls this the “Now Not How” mentality and it’s a game changer for getting things from idea to market fast.
5. I listen to audiobooks while I do my makeup in the morning
Not too long ago, I found myself in the oh-too-common frumpy rut that we fall into as work-from-home business owners. You know the one…where it’s been weeks and you’ve been wearing PJs 24/7, and you haven’t put on makeup or styled your hair in ages?
When you look rough, you feel rough, I’ve come to realize. So I wanted to get back into the habit of putting makeup on, as I used to when I had a job ‘out in public.’
So nowadays, I make a small effort to do my makeup in the morning. Not a full beat of lashes or anything like that, but just foundation and some color so that I look alive.
It’s become a habit that helps me feel good all day.
But it’s not just my beauty brushes doing the application, my morning makeup ritual has become a time for applying myself to learn something new, too!
By listening to business books on my Audible app while doing my makeup, I’ve managed to explore dozens of new books each year, over 5-minute daily sessions.
When you do 2 or more habits at the same time, it’s called habit-stacking and I LOVE it!
Use these five minutes where you are sitting down to listen to a podcast, or watch a short inspirational or educational video.
This can provide a quick boost of positivity and motivation while performing the mundane task of doing your makeup – where you walk away feeling and looking your best.
6. Habit-Stack 5-Minutes Of Movement
It’s important to move your body every day, but taking on a full-on exercise regime isn’t for everyone.
Just as I habit-stack listening to audiobooks during my daily makeup sessions, I also habit-stack exercising while I work.
I have an under-desk treadmill that I place under my standing desk. I power-walk on it while responding to emails and doing other admin tasks for my business.
It’s so easy that 5 minutes turns into an hour and before i know it I’ve walked several miles and completed my whole day of work!
7. Habit-Stack 5-Minute Meditations
One of my goals last year was to get into the habit of meditating every day. Because I know how beneficial meditation is. But even when I’d block out time on my calendar for daily meditations, I rarely did it!
That changed when after buying a pricey red light therapy lamp, I realized that 3 months had passed and the lamp was still in the box.
I wanted to get my money’s worth, receive the benefits of red light therapy, and not let the light catch dust.
So I committed to meditating in front of the red light for just 5 minutes each day. Because you can’t really do anything BUT sit still with your eyes closed while using red light!
By week two the habit became a normal part of my day! I was getting 2 goals tackled in one.
8. When Triggered By Something Unpleasant, Wait 5 Minutes
Personally, I can think of numerous occasions in my life where something unfortunate happened, and I reacted instantly on impulse. My poor reaction came from anger, shock or even jealousy in the heat of the moment, and I always regretted it.
Impulse reactions to negative vibes with more negative vibes never goes well!
The next time you receive bad news, read a hateful comment or get triggered by someone – stop yourself, and wait 5 minutes before reacting. During this time don’t stress about the issue. Think positive, distract yourself with something else, etc.
Once you calm down, you may find that you don’t even want to respond to them at all. Protect your peace and ignore!
9. Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements and beliefs that you want to enforce about yourself. “I am generous” “I am beautiful” “I help people and animals in every way I can” “Money flows to me easily”
Write a big list of positive things you want to embody, and say them out loud in the mirror for 5 minutes every day.
Again, you can habit-stack this by saying your mirror affirmations while you brush your teeth or do your hair in the morning.
10. Nurture A Hobby
Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in doing revenue-generating tasks for our businesses, we can forget to make time for hobbies.
Dedicate five minutes to a hobby – any activity – that brings you joy. This can be a great way to unwind and tap into your creativity.
Recently, I’ve been doing 5-minute vocal warm-ups aided by Youtube vocal coaches. It’s helping to improve my singing ability, as well as reducing the amount of “vocal fry” when I record my content.
11. Pomodoro Breaks
While working, stop yourself every 25 minutes to give yourself a five-minute break. Use this time to stretch, take deep breaths, or grab a glass of water. This can help maintain your focus and prevent burnout.
12. Allot five minutes to something you’ve been procrastinating on
We all have those unenjoyable tasks that we procrastinate about. What’s something you’ve been putting off? Take 5 minutes to just get it done so you can move on.
13. Spend 5 Minutes Outside Every Day
Have you been outside today? Were you mindful, or just rushing through the day to get from point A to point B?
I try to go outside and get some fresh air every day. It can be as simple as following my animals outside when I let them out in the morning, and taking a few minutes to look at the trees and sky and say thank you for giving me another day to live.
Or if I have more time, I’ll go for a walk, or do some gardening (making sure to talk to the plants in my vegetable garden!)
5-Minute Habits To Support Top Entrepreneur Goals
Now, let’s look at a selection of goals you likely have, as an entrepreneur, paired with 5-minute habits that will directly help you reach these goals.
Increase Productivity
Habit: Use the Pomodoro Technique and take a 5-minute break after 25 minutes of focused work.
Improve Focus
Habit: Practice 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation to center your thoughts and reduce distractions.
Enhance Networking
Habit: Spend 5 minutes each day sending a thoughtful message or engaging with a new contact on LinkedIn.
Boost Creativity
Habit: Dedicate 5 minutes to free writing or brainstorming new ideas in a journal.
Improve Physical Health
Habit: Do a 5-minute stretching or light exercise routine to keep your body active.
Develop Leadership Skills
Habit: Read a leadership quote or watch a short inspirational video about leadership.
Expand Knowledge
Habit: Read a few pages of a business book or an article in your field for 5 minutes.
Improve Time Management
Habit: Spend 5 minutes prioritizing your tasks for the day using these techniques.
Build Stronger Relationships with Clients
Habit: Take 5 minutes to send a thank-you note or check-in message to a client.
Increase Sales
Habit: Use 5 minutes to review and tweak your sales pitch or follow up on a sales lead.
Enhance Digital Presence
Habit: Post a quick, engaging update or respond to comments on your social media platforms. Try this!
Improve Financial Management
Habit: Spend 5 minutes reviewing your daily expenses and updating your budget.
Cultivate a Positive Mindset
Habit: Write down three things you are grateful for every day in a gratitude journal.
Related: How To Manifest Positive Energy.
Streamline Operations
Habit: Take 5 minutes to declutter your workspace or organize your digital files.
Improve Communication Skills
Habit: Practice a quick elevator pitch or rehearse a key conversation you plan to have.
Strengthen Brand Identity
Habit: Spend 5 minutes refining your brand message or visual identity.
Enhance Customer Service
Habit: Read and respond to customer feedback or reviews.
Foster Innovation
Habit: Allocate 5 minutes to learn about a new trend or technology in your industry.
Boost Team Morale
Habit: Send a quick appreciation note or motivational message to your team.
Increase Work-Life Balance
Habit: Spend 5 minutes planning a fun activity or relaxing break for your day.
5-Minute Habits That Will Positively Change Your Life – Conclusion
Which of these easy 5-minute habits will you start doing?