Hello changemakers 👋

This week, let’s talk about a simple yet powerful truth that can make or break your creative journey: Every minute matters. It's something that often gets overlooked, but it’s crucial, especially if you’re trying to balance creativity with the hustle of daily life.

We’ve all been there. Waiting for the perfect moment to start that new project, write that book, or launch that side hustle. You know, when everything aligns just right, and you have a solid block of time to dive deep into your work. But here’s the thing – those perfect moments are rare (if existent at all). And if you keep waiting for them, you might end up waiting forever.

To me an exemplifying story is the one of Matthew Dicks. In one of his books he explained how he wrote 11 books in the last 12 years. And the way he did it was by using every minute that came his way. He wrote before his kids woke up, during lunch breaks, and even while waiting for water to boil. I must say when I first read this I thought this sounds too intense. But thinking more about it, the thing is that this is not about being extreme; but about recognizing the value of every single minute.

The biggest mistake we make is thinking that creativity needs large chunks of uninterrupted time. We fall into the trap of believing that if we don’t have an entire afternoon free, it’s not worth starting at all. But here’s the truth: minutes matter. Whether it’s five minutes or fifty, those moments can add up to something incredible if you use them wisely.

So, how can you start valuing those precious minutes and making them work for you? Here are a few tips:

1. Find the cracks on your day: Start looking for small pockets of time where you can make progress. Waiting in line, sitting in a waiting room, or even the first few minutes of a meeting that hasn’t started yet. These moments can be golden opportunities to note down ideas, outline your next steps, or do a quick brainstorming session.

2. Stop overestimating big blocks of time: We often overvalue having an entire day or weekend to work on our projects, thinking that’s when the real magic happens. But often, those big blocks of time come with a lot of pressure and can lead to procrastination. Instead, shift your focus to making the most of the smaller, less intimidating chunks of time.

3. Create a system that works for you: It’s not just about using time effectively; it’s also about having a system in place that lets you pick up where you left off without wasting time getting back into the zone. Whether it’s keeping a notebook handy, using Notion to have your notes always with you, or setting quick daily goals, find what works for you and stick to it.

Remember, the one resource we all have in equal measure is time – 1,440 minutes a day (and ideally you spend around 480 of those sleeping, so in total you have even fewer minutes). And how you choose to spend those minutes can make all the difference in your creative journey. So, stop waiting for the perfect moment and start making the most of the minutes you have.

Cheers,
Ignasi 🚀

Things I’m liking this week 🥰

• 📝 This LinkedIn post from Christopher Rocas: I’ve written already in the past a newsletter issue regarding the power of the questions we ask ourselves, and how just changing the phrasing of some of them can lead to discovering new ways to unlock our potential. This post is a nice reminder of that power, and it has some new questions that definitely I’ll start asking myself going forward.

• 📔 A Growth Mindset Isn’t Always Useful, from CNBC. You’ve probably heard about the growth mindset — the idea that constant, incremental improvement can lead to achievement and success. This article has a bit of a contrarian opinion to the classic “you need to have a growth mindset and everything will be good for you!” mantra. Turns out, there are cases where this might not be the most useful advice. It was interesting to read in which cases it’s very helpful, but in which case it’d be better to have a different mindset to get the best outcome for you.

Question of the week 🤔

"What’s one task you’ve been putting off that you could start working on in just five minutes today?"

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