Give me a minute.

It will only take a minute or two.

Five minutes – tops!

Let me make a case for 15 minutes. No, not 15 minutes of fame, rather 15 minutes to reset, what I like to call 15-minute magic.

“Try it!” said my friend, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, or, you know, kind of immobile.”

“Keep it simple, keep it light,” she continued, and do one thing a day for 15 minutes only. Set an alarm if you need to, but keep it to 15 minutes.”

Although skeptical, I tried it, and it worked! At the end of one week, I noticed that the clutter in one corner of my dining room had disappeared. An accomplishment for me considering all the clutter in my house at the time. Inspired and feeling bit less intimidated by the clutter problem, I kept up with the 15-minute exercise over many weeks and applied it to my whole house. It was kind of fun. Plus, my house looked a lot better.  

A few years later, I attended a quilting workshop where the presenter had her own 15-minute technique. She called it 15 minutes of ‘play.’

“Whenever I have 15 minutes,” she explained, “I go into my sewing room, take whatever fabric scraps are on the top of my scrap pile, and sew them together into a square. I never know what it is going to look like; it does not matter. Sometimes I only get one square finished, sometimes two or three. Later I sew those squares together and create a colorful and unique ‘crazy’ quilt.”  

Seeing her quilts on display inspired me once again about the magic of 15 minutes. The actual quilt making took longer of course, but it all started with 15 minutes here and there and those crazy colored squares of fabric.

I still use this 15-minute technique today. For me, this time frame is a virtual reset button that I can push any time I am stuck, immobile, or feeling overwhelmed. Even if it is only one task for 15 minutes one day, it serves to wake me up, bring me to the present moment, and help me start again on the way forward.

So, what can you do, what can you do, with 15 minutes that might help reset your life? Remember, there is no need go overboard or overthink the activity. The key is to start and do something for 15 minutes only!

A Word of Caution: DO NOT use these 15 minutes to check your email, look at Facebook or Messenger, or read your regular mail as these activities do not necessarily help with the resetting process.

Here are a few suggestions ……

• Take a walk or a jog around the block
• Read a few pages of a new or treasured book
• Be Zen-like and meditate
• Clean off a shelf or the kitchen counter
• Brush your dog or cat
• Make a new plan, Stan
• Listen to your favorite song 3 or 4 times in a row just because
• Do simple exercises
• Sweep the floor(s)
• Rake up one corner of your yard or maybe just the tree lawn
• Draw a goofy picture
• Organize a shelf on your bookcase
• Clean out a drawer
• Do one step of a sewing project

Then, as you chose, when it is right for you, keep adding more 15 minutes of ‘play,’ day by day. As you do, there will come a time when you can say, after each 15-minute time – that’s a wrap! Hooray!

You might even consider rewarding yourself for every (5) times you do 15 minutes of play.  I use this incentive system myself and let me tell you, every cupcake I earn as a result is all the sweeter!

The very best thing about this 15-minute magic? You can repeat as necessary! There is no expiration date, no limits, no deadlines; it is always available any time, anywhere.

You can do it, and wait till you see the difference 15-minute magic can make in your life.

Good day.

Melinda Grohol

3/24/2023