Gimme 5 what?

• 5 types of Fruit and vegetables a day?
• 5 minutes and I’ll be with you?
• 5 things that you need?

When you think about the term: Gimme 5, what do you think of? 5 different types of fruit and vegetables that you’re recommended to eat? or maybe Give me 5 minutes and i’ll be with you?

I’ve been working on a new concentration technique that I’ve been using with a few colleagues and friends to help not only with their mindfulness during the working day but also with their concentration.

What does this mean?

The aim of this could be whatever you need at that point in time but some ideas that have been used so far:

• 5 things that you want to achieve in the next 30 minutes [define short time period]
• 5 positive things that have happened today
• 5 areas for improvement this week/sprint/month [define short time period]

I tend to encourage people to use this as an emphasis upon improvement and reflection. It’s important for each person to define what they’re looking for and what time period to use.

Why is this important?

Taking some time to concentrate and look at one specific area can really help you focus and help with mindfulness. Some people use it to “focus” on what’s important in their day or alternatively to look through what’s important in their working day.

What are the results?

I’ve only started working on this recently, so the results that I’ve got are relatively few but it’s been quite useful for me how people take the term: Gimme 5 and switch it to their personal circumstances and need. The people that have used this have reported the following results:

• Getting more done in their working day by focusing on the 5 most important activities
• Improved communication with their team after looking at the 5 improvements that they could make to team empowerment during the sprint
• Happier in their job and working day by taking 5 minutes to relax and refocus

Do you think that you could use “Gimme 5” in your working day? Let me know what you’ll be doing and how it works for you.