5 self development activities that take less than 10 minutes
Last Updated on March 31, 2021 by Isabelle Dias
That’s it! You decided that this is going to be your year. You are going to invest in self-development and become the woman you always wanted to be. So, you start researching on Pinterest and find all kinds of plans, ideas, tips, and routines for your self-development journey… But, to be honest, everything seems so overwhelming! You can’t do a 2-hour morning routine or figure out your life purpose overnight.
I’ve been there, and I know how this can make you feel like giving up from the whole process. But fear not! In this post, I’ll share some of the best self-development activities and ideas I learned during the years. When put into practice, they have the power to keep you going and give you amazing momentum, and all in under 10 minutes a day. So buckle up, buttercup, and let’s do this!
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How can I do self development
#1 Mindful mornings
The snooze button can be very sexy. Every time you hit that, it gives you five more minutes in bed. That’s true love, my friends!
When you finally get up, you are crazy late, and you rush through everything necessary to make yourself presentable outside the house.
With that tumultuous morning, you start the day feeling like you are behind. This mood can carry on through the next 24 hours. This consistent behavior can be so damaging in the long haul!
The reality is: mornings are crucial for our self-development.
They are crucial because, during the first minutes in the morning, your subconscious is super vulnerable. See your subconscious as the little guy responsible for all your decisions and perspectives about yourself. Ultimately, he is the one ruling your life.
Throughout your first minutes awake, he is strongly absorbing all the inputs you are giving to him.
When you hit snooze ten times and wake up looking at your clock and saying “NO NO NO NO,” the subconscious’ process goes like this: “Ok, I am not good at keeping commitments to myself. I am always behind. Life is chaos, and that’s normal. Got it! Let’s apply this to all other areas of life now!”
The subconscious is just doing his job! The way you do one thing is the way you do all things.
The good part is that you can also give positive inputs to your subconscious mind and absorb like a sponge in the same way. Also, it doesn’t have to be complicated! I swear you don’t need to wake up at 5:00 a.m. for that.
Let’s suppose you need to wake up at 7:45 a.m. to leave the house at an acceptable time, ok?
Would your life be over if you woke up at 7:40? No? That’s awesome! Because if you’ve got 5 minutes, you totally got this!
What I want you to do with those 5 minutes is what I call mindful mornings.
Wake up with one goal in mind. For example, meditate for 3 minutes (here is a good one to start). Or make yourself some fresh coffee as you listen to calming music. You can also set the goal to pray or read your devotional (Youversion app has the best plans!).
Chose anything that will make you feel grounded and give you a sense of clarity. It doesn’t have to take too long.
Committing to do those things (even for three minutes) will send the following message to your subconscious mind: “I am very committed! I put myself first and can do absolutely anything I set my mind to. Now, let’s apply this to all other areas of life!” Much, much better input, don’t you think?
Personal development without the fluff
#2 Books are a girl’s best friend
Reading is magic. Maybe I am a little biased about it since I am completely in love with the act of reading (my first blog ever, at the age of 7, was called “I love to read”… good times).
There is something exceptional in stop and concentrating on a piece of knowledge. As you absorb the new information, it is transforming you inside.
This is good for your brain health and additionally gives you a sense of growth and accomplishment. Since we are focusing on your personal development, I advise you to focus on books that go deeper into this subject.
If you think you don’t have at least 10 minutes a day to read, think again.
What about the time you spent on public transport, going to the bathroom with your phone, waiting rooms, lunch break?
I like to call those moments “time gaps.” They are those minutes we have between our standard daily tasks that pass by unnoticed, doing mindless tasks like scrolling on social media.
Those are the precious seconds we are going to use to sneak the 10-minute reading in! You can sum up the minutes during the day or do all ten at once.
Plus, if you want to use some of those minutes in your mindful mornings, do it!
If you don’t know where to start, I am about to share with you my top 3 personal favorite self-development books ever! These are the real thing and changed my life in so many ways. Choose the one you feel called to, or grab all of them!
♥ Daring Greatly – Brené Brown
♥ The Universe Has Your Back – Gabrielle Bernstein
♥ Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick Up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny – Christine Caine
**I have way more books on my list, but I see those as the perfect place to start. Have fun!
Self development strategies
#3 Little rituals
I once heard on a podcast that rituals can be anything you do mindfully. Setting the intention to reconnect with yourself or something higher than you.
With this definition in mind, everything can become a ritual: from meal prep to prayer to a luxurious bubble bath.
When creating your rituals is very important to understand what makes you feel good. Think about the moment where you feel connected with yourself. How is it possible to add small bits of this in your routine?
For me, an important ritual is to start my morning listening to worship music as I light candles around the house. That simple habit makes me connect to myself and the perspective I want to set for the day. It’s like a “start” button.
I need to confess that I have a serious problem with being enthusiastically devoted to candles. I am always looking for new scents, and if you want to make this girl happy, take her to a candle store!
However, for this specific morning ritual, I am obsessed with those Chesapeake Bay Candles. My husband randomly bought the Confidence + Freedom one for our house once, and since then, I am in love.
With a marvelous warm scent, they give a fancy feeling to any room. Beyond the vibes, they help me to start the day being mindful of my goals regarding the woman I want to become.
Taking all those feelings and wishes in as I feel the aroma and all the sentiments it evokes inside of me, it’s just the perfect mindful morning.
After that, I make myself some coffee and jump straight into my daily meditation. It makes all the difference in my day!
Another little ritual that I adopted, and it also takes less than 10 minutes, is a mindful shower.
I close the bathroom door and light some candles. Turn my shower Bluetooth speaker on with some chill music and let the warm water run.
During the shower, I pay close attention to the feeling of spreading the soap all over my body, washing my hair, the water running through. Through those minutes, I think about all the things I am grateful for and let the water take away any negativity.
It’s such a simple thing, yet capable of giving us so much energy! I feel like a brand new woman after those showers.
PRO TIP: choose a special body lotion to use after the shower. This can take the experience to a whole new level.
The one I use specifically for those moments is the Aromatherapy Stress Relief by Bath & Body Works. It’s made with eucalyptus and peppermint, and it just… divine!
You will feel the most zen human being that ever existed. Ready to take over the world! I’ve learned this is the ideal complement for a mindful shower, and you can get it here! Thank me later, babe!
Self development habits
#4 Solitude breaks
Solitude is one of my favorite words. If you are not familiar with this concept, let me start saying that solitude and loneliness are not the same things.
Solitude is the choice of creating a situation where you are alone. The ultimate “me time.”
When we are always giving to others, sometimes we can feel a little empty. If you are pouring into everyone, who is pouring into you? That’s when the importance of solitude comes in! Those are the moments made to recharge yourself.
When I was single, I did the commitment to make solitude my priority. I traveled alone all over the world, went on long walks and hikes by myself, and took me on dream dates.
But with that, I also learned the importance of small-normal-daily life solitude breaks. Like leaving the house one hour before a medical appointment to spend some time reading in a coffee shop near the doctor’s office. Or waking up 15 minutes before everyone in the house just to make coffee and watch the sunrise.
Now that I am married and can’t go on a trip by myself every month, those sacred solitude breaks are what keep me going. They, honestly, make me a better wife and partner. I don’t feel like I am empty and with no time for myself.
Ask yourself: where can you create solitude breaks for at least 10 minutes?
During lunchtime, finding a coffee shop to read? Waking up before everyone in the house? Going for a short walk just because? Knitting?
It’s also important to understand that solitude breaks are not to be used scrolling through social media or watching a random tv show. They are here to help you reconnect with yourself.
Self development examples
#5 Plan 3 main goals every day
Are you overachiever like your homegirl over here? If your answer was “yes,” you probably know how frustrating it can be to create the perfect to-do list, just to finish the day with only half of it done.
“What is wrong with me? Why am I not being productive?”
Well, maybe it’s because you are creating unreal standards of productivity for yourself, mama!
You think you are not good enough when, in reality, you are a real-life goddess! However, you are projecting impossible standards, even for your cute little self. So let’s tone it down and start with the basics, ok?
Before bed, or during your mindful mornings, plan three main goals for your day. Yep, THREE, TRÊS, TROIS! No more than that, at least for now.
This method will help you to focus on what is essential. Creating momentum with small daily wins.
The power created by those wins will start a change in your self-perception. You will start thinking of yourself as someone who gets things done, creating a sense of being proud of who you are. And that’s amazing!
Don’t think you are taking steps back for deciding to keep only three daily main goals.
In reality, you are growing, granting you are learning how to prioritize while you do this exercise. Also, if you finish your three and still have time, add one more. And so it goes.
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Last thoughts ♥
That’s it! You are making the self-development thingy happen for you!
You don’t need much to start your self-development journey. Just small doses of commitment to yourself. All positive decisions will add up and create real, lasting change.
Like real, everlasting love, it’s not about the once in a lifetime demonstrations of affection, but about the small everyday things. Those are the real game-changers.
I am curious to know: which idea you think you are going to try first? Let me know in the comments, and let’s chat!
Isabelle Dias
Hello you! My name is Isabelle, a Rio de Janeiro girl living in a small town in Georgia, with the love of my life (aka my husband) and our bossy-yet-adorable Pomeranian Lucy. You can find me in coffee shops working on my business while researching on Pinterest what to make for dinner. I created this blog to share everything I have been learning about what it takes to create a life where you feel happy, balanced, and successful. A life you love.
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