I enjoy playing games. Not so much cards or puzzles, team sports or slot machines, but experiments with behavior and thought. During the holiday season, when the to-do list expands and time does not, it is hard for me to focus on one thing long enough to do (or not do) what I want. Out of this challenge, the 15-minute game was born.
It started with eating. Impulsive eating is an ongoing challenge for me. Even after 16 years of maintaining a healthy body weight, I struggle to eat moderate amounts of nourishing foods. Like so many others, I go looking for fat, sugar, and salt when I am bored or tired, anxious or depressed. I feel the urge and act immediately. I recently asked myself how it would feel to to insert 15 minutes between stimulus and response. I have been playing that game now for several weeks, and the results are rewarding.
Sometimes I don't even notice that 15 minutes have gone by. An hour later, I remember that I had the urge to eat, but it is no longer compelling. Sometimes the impulse is more lasting (perhaps it is genuine hunger). In those cases, I use the 15 minutes to consider alternatives, and often come up with a healthier choice than the one I started with. I might even use the time to prepare something from scratch, rather than defaulting to grab-n-go.
The 15-minute game can also come into play when I am procrastinating. In that case, I don't use the time to postpone action but to begin. Studying for a test. Writing these Reflections. Housework. Exercise. When I find myself skirting an activity, distracting myself with social media or a snack (see above) I tell myself I will do the dreaded chore for 15 minutes, then decide whether to continue. I find I can actually do quite a bit in 15 minutes, and sometimes that is all it takes. In other cases, getting started and sustaining focus for a quarter-hour leads to a much longer burst of purposeful action.
Finally, I play the game when I have started something that can mindlessly and unproductively suck up time. Facebook, email, YouTube browsing, and the like can fill hours a day while other priorities languish. Reading the paper and watching TV are other culprits. In cases like those, I may use the 15-minute tool to parcel out indulgences in limited quantities. I will check on my friends, shop for an African drum and watch Denver Broncos postgame interviews until 7:30, then I will move on to something else.
One game with three applications: postpone action, start action, curtail action. I am enjoying the experiment and find it useful. I don't pull it out every time I turn around, but I tap into it when I am stuck, doing or not doing something the way I would like.
Do you experience impulsive eating or other unhelpful urges to act mindlessly? Do you procrastinate when a task looks too big or unpleasant to begin? Do you get caught up in unproductive wheel-spinning and find it hard to stop? How might the 15-minute game play out in your life?
