How 10 Minutes a Day Can Transform Your Health, Productivity and Sales
Maybe you’ve heard of the 80/20 rule (or Pareto’s Principle that says 80% of our results come from just 20% of our effort), the rule of three (we tend to remember lists of three items), and Parkinson’s Principle (work expands to fit the time allotted).
What about the 10-minute rule?
Never hear of it? Well, you should because it could change your life.
Maybe in the past week you caught yourself saying something like:
“Once I have more time, I’ll feel more organized”, or “As soon as I get through this project I’ll…”, or “Next month will be better. Then I’ll have more time for me.”
As long as you keep in the future your wants and desires they will always be in the future. In the immortal words of Lincoln “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
There’s a better way, and it happens in just 10 minutes a day.
THE 10-MINUTE RULE
If you do the math (based on a typical work year), working on a single task (like sales calls, coaching staff, or walking stairs) for just 10 minutes a day is the equivalent of one full work-week every year. That’s huge.
Think about it.
When was the last time you had a full work week to apply to anything? The reality is you can start today with just 10 minutes a day.
HEALTHY IN JUST MINUTES
When I traveled for speaking engagements, I used to haul along gym gear and try to find an hour for a workout. Often a late arrival meant the workout never happened.
Now I plan on a 15 minute hotel room workout – it never gets missed and in the last year alone I logged over 12 hours of exercise while on the road. Awesome!
What could you do every day in just 10 or 15 minutes to stay fit and to feel great?
- Take the stairs to your office or a meeting (only counts if you are on the third floor or higher!)
- Go for a fast walk every afternoon (there are about 10 city blocks in a mile)
- Move your recycling box, garbage bin, water, snacks, coffee maker away from your desk, so you have to stand and move throughout the day.
PRODUCTIVE IN JUST MINUTES
What are you procrastinating about at work?
- Creating sales goals?
- Hiring that perfect assistant for marketing?
- Cleaning the distractions out of your office?
- Launching that media marketing campaign?
Whatever it is, you have the time—you just need to be thinking 10 minutes a day. Let’s face it, tiny steps forward are better than no step at all and living with regret.
Here are three super easy 10-minute tasks you can do daily to move forward and feel better:
- Clean your InBox: 1) flag important unread emails, 2) mark all emails as “read.”
- Completely clean your desk of clutter and sticky notes.
- Plan your week, including your top 10 goals.
MORE SALES IN JUST MINUTES
We all want more sales and often only think in terms of big launches and big wins. What about little wins that grow over time?
When I was building my keynote speaking sales some of my best leads came from reaching out to other speakers, one at a time, learning what they did and offering help. Inevitably, those phone calls paid off in new friendships, referrals, and collaborations.
And it all happened one call at a time.
Here are three sales-generators you can do in just 10 minutes a day:
- Book three appointments with warm leads.
- Update your blog or send a helpful article to your list.
- Share a lead with a related business.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Romans didn’t wait for a better time – neither should you.
Start today with just 10 minutes dedicated to one task you know will make a difference in your health, productivity and sales and watch the results build.