The Magic of 20 Minutes

After Zeynep was born, I found myself with very little time for anything. Taking care of a baby is a full-time job in itself, and when you add work on top of that, I could only dedicate time to the most essential tasks for a long time. These essential tasks had to be completed in a very limited amount of time. For example, I had to cook dinner in the evening, Zeynep was asleep, and I had a 10-minute break between two meetings. I didn’t have the luxury of asking, “Can you really cook in 10 minutes?” My approach was always, “Whatever I can do in 10 minutes is a bonus.” At the very least, I could chop the onions. I would chop the onions at lightning speed and even wash all the vegetables. Since I timed everything I did, I soon realized that many tasks could be completed in a short time. The key was managing time well and planning effectively. When I say planning, I’m not talking about fancy to-do lists; I was doing everything in my head. For instance, while breastfeeding Zeynep, I would mentally list the tasks I needed to do after putting her to sleep.

1. Put the laundry in the machine

2. Wash the bottles

3. Empty the dishwasher

4. Cook dinner

5. Fold the laundry

Because I had everything organized in my head, I could quickly move on to the next task without thinking about it. Mentally listing tasks became a habit for me in a short time. I would break down each task into steps and calculate how many steps it would take to complete a meal. If it took eight steps and I had very limited time, I would aim to complete four steps. Zeynep would play on her own, and I knew she would start getting fussy in about 10 minutes, so I would aim to complete four steps of the meal in those 10 minutes. I could finish the other half by finding another 10-minute slot. I started operating with the mindset of “whatever I can get done is a bonus.” It might sound a bit crazy, but it really works.

For the first four months, I had no time for myself. If I could find time to take a shower, I was grateful. In fact, for the first four months, Zeynep and I would go to bed at around 8 p.m. because there was a night shift to consider. After a while, I started watching something while pumping milk. In a 20-minute pumping session, I could watch a lot of things. Sometimes I watched an episode of a show, sometimes I researched something I needed to look into, and sometimes I read something. I can’t tell you how much those 20-minute sessions did wonders for me.

Then Zeynep grew up, and I had more time for myself. Time was still limited, but it was more than before. I wanted to do a lot of things I hadn’t been able to do for a while, but I didn’t have that much time. I started setting small goals and focusing on the things I wanted to do. After a while, I realized that I was learning and completing many things more easily. I spent some time wondering how this was happening. At one point, I even thought my intelligence was improving. Eventually, I realized that focusing on a task in a short period significantly boosted performance. When I’m listening to a podcast but have very little time, if it’s a 10-minute episode, I’m fully present because I know I won’t have a second 10 minutes!

I observed how small and realistic goals positively impacted my life and habits. I started making monthly schedules and gradually added the things I wanted to do to my list each month. I’ve been following this schedule for three months now and have incorporated many things into my life. I started reading regularly, resumed the courses I wanted to finish, began writing, started doing skincare, working on grammar, cleaning the house, and so on. I’ve made significant progress in many areas. I wrote about this in previous posts, which you can find on my profile. While following my schedule this month, I realized that an average of 20 minutes was enough for all these tasks.

• I can finish a grammar topic in 20 minutes.

• 20 minutes is a good amount of time for reading.

• 20 minutes is a good amount of time for watching something.

• I can learn 10 words in 20 minutes.

• 20 minutes is ideal for daily house cleaning.

• I can cook many meals in 20 minutes.

• 20 minutes is enough time to jot down a few thoughts.

I’ve come to believe in the magic of 20 minutes. It even started to feel like there’s nothing you can’t accomplish in 20 minutes. It’s also the optimal time for intense focus. I began to think that the Pomodoro technique was based on a similar principle. If you want to develop new habits in your life, you can start by dedicating 20 minutes a day to one topic.