Changing your life for the better is a tall order.

The easiest “solution,” of course, is to do nothing and complain a lot when things continue to suck. The second-easiest thing to do is create an elaborate plan that gives you the illusion of productivity, and then never execute it. The third easiest thing to do is follow that plan for a few days (or weeks!), then get frustrated when you’re not perfect and give up.

We’re not going to do any of those things.

Welcome to 10 Minute Magic

Your fail-proof guide to owning your potential in just 10 minutes a day

10 Minute Magic is a regular series that you’ll see on Living Between the Lines over the coming months. In each post, I’ll walk you through a ten-minute-ish setup process for something that’ll help improve your life, long-term, if you keep at it. Some of these things will work better for you than others – feel free to prioritize those!

I can offer suggestions all day long, but ultimately, the only guaranteed way to make your life better is to make some positive changes. So each post will focus on empowering you to do just that. I’ll include specific hints and tricks, and ways to keep yourself motivated and accountable. Whether that means reminders to download straight to your phone, or a printable to keep somewhere visible – or just a written kick in the pants to keep you going.

What’s the Point?

There are a lot of points, but I’ll keep it brief for now. Basically, I want to empower you to actually do things that actually improve your life. It’s not easy to be unhappy with your life, but it requires a lot less effort than changing all the things you don’t like. And when you’re unhappy, or disorganized, or stressed, or otherwise feeling bad, the little effort it takes to improve your life can seem insurmountable.

That’s what 10 Minute Magic is all about. You’re able to take control over one part of your life, and actively improve it, in a really short time frame. With a few exceptions, like bare-knuckle boxing and holding my breath, I could do just about anything for ten minutes. And realistically, I’m not going to be telling you to do things you never thought to do. I just want to give you a few strategies to make it easier, and then the motivation to actually do it.

Is It For You?

As much as I believe that Living Between the Lines is for everyone, I can’t reach every single potential reader with every single post. So, 10 Minute Magic is for you if you:

• Know you could be more organized and efficient, but struggle to actually make changes
• Feel overwhelmed by all the little things in your life, to the point that it’s starting to affect the big things
• Often spend your time worrying about the “best” way to solve problems, rather than actually solving them
• Enjoy being a given a comprehensive plan, but are willing to modify it to suit your needs.

If this doesn’t sound like you, that’s okay! Feel free to skim the bullet points on each post to see if they’re helpful for you, but otherwise, the post archive is open and easy to navigate. There are posts here for you – just maybe not in this series.

But if this does sound like you, I get it! I struggle with all the points on the list above. But the strategies I outline in 10 Minute Magic have helped me get a grip, make some changes, get more done, and feel more confident. I’m so confident, in fact, that I’m sharing them with you. Because if you see yourself in that list above, the strategies in 10 Minute Magic will help.

Analysis Paralysis (and Other Real Life Supervillains)

Actually executing a plan is always the hardest part. It’s easy to get comfortable making plans, but much harder to get comfortable acting on them.

I spent a long time reading blog posts before I actually started a blog. I spent a long time lusting over bullet journals before I buckled down on my bujo. I spent a long time browsing through project management software before I made my choice. And I’m willing to bet that you’re caught in the same toxic cycle in a few areas of your life.

This “analysis paralysis” is just one of the many little things holding us back that we don’t always notice. 10 Minute Magic doesn’t just give you a ten minute task. It also takes a look at why we struggle with these areas in the first place, and what we can do to fix them. When I started writing this series, I didn’t think I’d be exploiting my student friends for database access, but I’ve read some serious-business peer-reviewed research for these posts, and I anticipate reading quite a bit more.

The goal isn’t to give you boring facts, but instead to get to the root of problems and solve them, rather than offering you workarounds that don’t address the real issue.

How It Works

Each post will focus intensely on one short task. I’ll walk you through the importance, offer targeted strategies, and give you a ton of info. Why so much? You’ll feel more confident in making a decision if you feel super well informed. This fights analysis paralysis and fear of the unknown, which hold you back.

I’ve taken some liberties based on content, but you’ll find posts divided into sections that walk you through the process step by step. Most sections will end with a bulleted list of takeaways or action items, for easy reference or skimming later. And each post ends with a “Final Notes” section that rounds up the big ideas, and a “Do Right Now” section that walks you through the next ten minutes.

Many of the posts will also have downloads and recommendations for other resources to help you. I’ve set up color-coded spreadsheets, printable lists, and more. I’ve also rounded up some products that have helped me as transition out of college and into career in the past year. If these sound useful, help yourself! If not, no problem. You know what you need better than I do.

The Bottom Line

10 Minute Magic is designed to help you take action and improve your life. This is not a ‘read-it-and-forget-it’ series, I’ll actually push you to take action. If you recognize your personal struggles anywhere in this post, 10 Minute Magic is going to be a good fit for you. If not, well. They’re free blog posts on the internet. Peek at a few, see if they help, and if not, there’s plenty more to read on the web.

The whole point here is to give you a comprehensive look at the habits holding you back in life, make sure you’re well-informed on what’s giving you bad vibes and why, and then giving you the specific tools and skills you need to fix it. You’ll walk away from each post with a list of action items, and maybe even a few bonus goodies. But most importantly, after each post, you’ll be ready to tackle one part of your life and improve it, ten minutes at a time.

This series is still a work in progress!

I have quite a few posts written, but I’m always happy to write based on what you need! If there’s anything you’d like to see covered in 10 Minute Magic, leave me a comment below!