5 minute life enrichers

What are Life Enrichers?

These are activities that can enrich your life. Each of them will take only 5 minutes to do, and will include items such as articles, videos, short exercises, brain training, collections of quotes, fun items, and more.
They fall into the 12 personal and professional development categories in the diagram.

 How did the 5 Minute concept come about?

Sometimes the biggest results can come from the smallest steps.
In 2002 I set up a training organisation Successful Speaking, running workshops in presentation skills and communication skills. After each course I offered several supporting email services in order to enhance learning. One of these services, DITTY, was based on a Dale Carnegie principle that if you practise your communication skills for a minute a day, then firstly it's easy to find a spare minute, and secondly your skills can increase in baby steps over a period of time. I emailed the daily DITTY speaking practice topics to people around the world for over 12 years, providing 6,000 topics in total. From time to time I would contact the group and ask how they used the service and the benefits they had gained.
I was blown away by the results.
For some people it had been life-changing. By simply practising their speaking skills for a minute a day they had made significant improvements:
"I cannot put into words how much it has helped me. Not only to develop my speech writing and public speaking skills, but building my confidence and self-esteem as well."
"It has made a huge difference from day one."
"I am now a far more confident person in my work which has some really good flow on effects."
"I have become more confident and I do not sit back in the corner now."
Recognising the huge potential of using small periods of time regularly and effectively, I began to produce books and e-books based on this concept - three Conversation Starters books, two Better Speaking e-books, the 199 Activities e-book and four 5 Minute Brain Workout books.
This concept is similar to that of Kaizen, defined by Robert Maurer PhD clinical professor as 'The art of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments'; big leaps with long lasting effects can be achieved by taking small steps.
As I work on my next 5 Minute book I'll also be launching a new newsletter 5 Minute Life Enrichers based on this principle. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

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