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Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

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Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#1
I often have 5-10m gaps. It’s too easy to waste this time.

What things do you like to do in these increments?

For instance, learning a new skill, getting slightly better at something, reading high quality content.

Edited to clarify that I don’t mean phone-specific activities!

Re: Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#3

You’ll lose your mind if you try to micro-optimize your life like this. Use that time to breathe.

And breathe, taken literally. Get off your phone OP and just do a bit of meditation for those minutes, I promise you'll feel better, more so than trying to micro optimize within that time.

Re: Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#4

You’ll lose your mind if you try to micro-optimize your life like this. Use that time to breathe.

maybe productive isn’t the right word - more like satisfying and constructive. Right now I might play blitz chess or end up checking the news or X. But when I’m in the middle of a good book or some long form content, I’ll use that time to read and it’s much more fulfilling.

And I think breathing meditation is an excellent idea! I didn’t only mean phone-specific activities at all! Thank you

Re: Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#5

You’ll lose your mind if you try to micro-optimize your life like this. Use that time to breathe.

And breathe, taken literally. Get off your phone OP and just do a bit of meditation for those minutes, I promise you'll feel better, more so than trying to micro optimize within that time.

Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#6
I look around and see what is going on around me, things have changed since last you looked; you can get surprisingly good at judging what time it is based off the sunlight through a window. Sometimes I think about something if something happens to pop into my mind.

Re: Ask HN: How do you use 5–10 minute gaps productively?

#10
post #6

I look around and see what is going on around me, things have changed since last you looked; you can get surprisingly good at judging what time it is based off the sunlight through a window. Sometimes I think about something if something happens to pop into my mind.

What sort of things do you notice?
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