You Only Need to Do Five Minutes 

I learned two things yesterday. Hundreds of important concepts, ideas, suggestions and near directives entered my realm yesterday, yet, for whatever reason, only two of them seemed really important and applicable to me.  It happens to us all, doesn't it?  We're exposed to a lot in our business life every day that we have the opportunity to learn from.  Some of it sticks and some of it doesn't. I sometimes wonder why.  Was it how it was presented?  Was it who presented it?  I don't know.  But I do wonder.  It's my nature to ask "why" a lot.  But I shouldn't wander off pondering or else I'll never finish this.

So what two things did I learn that I wanted to share?  First, I want to share the concept of five minutes.  Now of course I've heard this before, but it was probably in a different form and a long time ago.  But for some reason when I heard it yesterday, not only did I want to remember to apply the "do it for five-minutes rule", I did it.  I had to.  So the five-minute rule is this, agree that no matter what it is you're not excited about moving forward with, and do it for five minutes.  If you want to stop after five minutes then go ahead.  It's okay, because you started.  Chances are you'll keep going but it's perfectly okay if you don't.  

Think about how often you could apply this "rule" in your life.  It would jump start so much.  It could be that new initiative you've been considering.  Give it five minutes of "trial" time because sometimes you won't be able to be literal about the five minutes.  Think of it as more of a metaphor for moving ahead and then if you don't feel good about the direction or the project, stop.  Stop quickly.  Sometimes it can be literal, like for me last night after a long day of work that included a long drive and hours of standing on my feet (something I don't do often so my "doggies" hurt like crazy).  I made a pact with myself to put on my running gear and go run for at least five minutes.  I really didn't want to go but I invoked the five-minute rule.  In this case, I went way beyond the five minutes but it would have been fine if I had not.  No harm, no foul.  

Maybe this is something that you will find useful.  And it isn't a trick.  If you think about it like that and aren't serious about giving yourself permission to stop, it won't be useful.  It could actually be more about the stop than the start.  Think about it.  How often do we give ourselves permission to stop something?  Take something off the "to do" list?  My guess is not often enough.  Part of the secret of this rule is to really believe it.  If you look at it as a trick for you to keep doing something you were either too tired, too scared, too worried about making a mistake, it loses its value. It will be viewed, rightfully so as a "trick" and not a "tool". 

The other thing I learned was the concept of the last 20%.  But since I spent more than five minutes on the first, the five-minute rule, and I want to be true to what you all told me about the preferred length of our chats each week, the last 20% will have to wait for another day.

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Puget Consumers Co-Op trades as PCC Natural Markets at nine locations throughout WA.  The natural and organic supermarkets, featuring deli, bakery, produce, seafood, wine and beer, cheese and health and body care departments, as well as offering bulk food items, occupy spaces of 20,000 sq.ft. to 25,000 sq.ft. in freestanding locations and strip centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout the Puget Sound area of western WA during the coming 18 months.  Typical leases run 15 to 20 years with options.  Major competitors include Whole Foods Market, grocery stores and independent natural food stores.  For more information, contact Randy Lee, Puget Consumers Co-Op, 4201 Roosevelt Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98105

Bexar County Markets, Inc. trades as Handy Andy and Diamond W. Ltd. trades as City Markets at 10 locations throughout TX.  The supermarkets occupy spaces of 20,000 sq.ft. to 50,000 sq.ft. in downtown areas and strip centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout central TX during the coming 18 months.  For more information, contact Terry Warren, Bexar County Markets, Inc., 1500 South Zarzamora Street, Suite 512, San Antonio, TX 78207

Roundy's Supermarkets and Mariano's Fresh Market operate 152 locations throughout IL, MN and WI.  The upscale supermarkets, featuring bakery, deli, liquor, floral, health and beauty and specialty foods departments, as well as a pharmacy, occupy spaces of 65,000 sq.ft. to 80,000 sq.ft. in suburban and urban areas.  Growth opportunities are sought for the Mariano's Fresh Market concept throughout the Chicago metropolitan area during the coming 18 months, with representation by Witherell Real Estate.  For more information, contact Andy Witherell, Witherell Real Estate, 850 West Jackson, Suite 701, Chicago, IL 60607

Walter Lagestee, Inc. trades as Walt's Food Center at seven locations throughout IL and IN.  The supermarkets, featuring deli, produce, meat and bakery departments, as well as a pharmacy, occupy spaces of 45,000 sq.ft. to 55,000 sq.ft. in freestanding locations and strip and value centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout IL during the coming 18 months.  Typical leases run 10 to 20 years.  A vanilla shell is required.  Preferred cotenants include T.J. Maxx.  Preferred demographics include a population of 35,000 sq.ft. within 10 miles earning $65,000 to $75,000 as the average household income.  For more information, contact Bob Lagestee, Walter Lagestee, Inc., 330 West Taft Drive, South Holland, IL 60473

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