Ten Minute Improvements - part III (the last)

10 Minutes to improve yourself - part III (the last)

From:  http://success.com/43-ways-to-improve-yourself-in-just-ten-minutes

We have been looking at this for two days - and today will be the last of the series

#29 Learn a new word

Yes, in ten minutes you can learn a new word.  (Of course, to really learn it, you have to repeat throughout the next few days.  If you do this daily, you will learn a plethora of ubiquitous new words in a year.

#30 Learn skills you didn’t learn in school

Try MindTools.com or SUCCESSAcademy.com

#31 Become a Speed Reader

Check out Spreeder.com - which claims” Read 3x Faster, Save Time, and Be More Productive In Life”  - sounds like a fun activity!!

#32 Get Cultural

Go to a museum!  Okay, you probably can’t do that in ten minutes, but you can use the app DailyArt - it will show you a picture and tell you about the artist, the style of art and more.  

#33 Learn a new language

I’ve been using Duolingo to relearn the German that I have forgotten over the years.  And, Duolingo comes in many (many) languages - so maybe you learn Chinese (or … maybe learn some Spanish!!)

#34 Discover your childhood wonder

The article suggests getting the book “The Book of Questions” - which has questions like “Is that rose naked or is that her only dress?”  Maybe you can look out a window and ask “Why is the sky blue?” or “What causes cold fronts?”

#35 Find a coffee buddy

If you are working, grab a friend or a new friend and share a quick cup of coffee.  I think in 10 minutes you can start to go under the surface.

#36 Welcome to the Ivies

(As in the “Ivy League” of colleges) There is free access to hundreds of courses and lectures.  The article suggests: AcademicEarth.org

#37 Use the 60/10 rule

Work hard for 60 minutes, then change gears for 10 minutes to do something for yourself and your mind.  Yes, imagine yourself booking and rebooking passengers on Jet Blue for an hour, then taking ten minutes to turn on a Beethoven piece and look at your DailyArt feed.  (Right KB?)

#38 Scroll smarter

The article suggests checking out Tagboard.com that allows you to search by #hashtags.  I wonder what #texas might bring up!!

#39 Stick to your goals

Are you trying to change a bad habit?  The article suggests using HabitBull that helps keep working on your good habits and forgetting the bad habits.  

#40 Get Bored

The article suggests that actually staring out the window for 10 minutes and doing nothing can refresh your creative side.

#41 Write a letter to your future self

“Hey, 82-year-old Karen.  You sure are beautiful”!!!

#42 Say “NO”

What a concept - take ten minutes to practice saying “no”.  Your time is your most important asset according to the article - learning to say “no” can be a great thing!!

#43 - and the last one - Remember what you want

There is an expression, “When you are knee-deep in alligators, it is easy to forget that your goal was to drain the swamp.”  If you are working as a CPA - with the goal of taking a year off to cruise around the world, maybe ten minutes a day thinking of what you really want is important.  I’m thinking of Citizen Kane (a movie I’ve never seen but touted as one of the best ever movies), where seemingly all the young Kane really wanted was a new sled - called Rosebud!!!

WOW - 43 ways to improve yourself in 10 minutes!!  Some of these I like and will be trying out!!

How about you?  Did any of these hit home?  You can share in the comments!!

Hugs!!

Karn