10 Effortless Things To Add To Your Daily Routine (that take 5 Minutes or Less)

You’re going to have days where you’re just going to say “ahh, I’ll do it later”. But what you don’t know is that those little hustles that you leave out in your daily routine could lead to larger negative causes in the future. 

For one, when was that last time you flossed your teeth? Meditated? Checked up on a friend or even strangely enough cleaned your belly button? 

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon this post on Reddit called “What takes five minutes or less that everyone should add to their daily routine?“. I thought I’d like to share with you some of these awesome pieces of advice that you should follow. I must admit that some of these things that are mentioned in this post only take at the very least 5 mins or less and have made a big impact on my own lifestyle. 

In this post, I’ll share my 10 favourite advice from the users on Reddit on effortless things (that should take at least 5 minutes or less) to be added to your daily routine. 

So grab your mug of coffee or tea and let’s get right into it!

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Jjhellakillahill says Brushing your Teeth

“Brush your teeth. That’s important for your health and also it is a kind of an investment because you won’t need (for) any teeth treating as you get older.”

Note: He also edited about flossing too which is also important from what my dentist has told me.

This is something that has stuck with me now. When I was younger, I used to have a bad routine of brushing my teeth or I wouldn’t brush at all due to my laziness. I guess this is something that steams from my traumatic childhood experience at the dentist (still traumatised till this day). After attending the dentist at 18 due to my bad teeth I realised that it’s important to focus on brushing and flossing my teeth daily even when I don’t feel like it.

Remember that if you don’t brush your teeth, plague from the food and drinks you eat can build up and weaken your enamel. This could lead to tooth decay, gum disease, infections and even cause inflammation in your body. Read more about it here.

Here’s how you can keep your teeth healthy:

• Brush and floss twice a day (morning and night)
• Drink a lot of water
• Limit intake of sugar or caffeine (soft drinks, coffee, etc). I love my coffee but there are times where I need to step away from it. The alternatives to this are eating apples, cheese, vegetables or any fruit if you fancy a sweet snack.
• Chew a sugar-free gum
• Don’t smoke (even though I never smoked in my life, I suggest you shouldn’t unless you want tooth decay or lung cancer).
• Visit your dentist after 6 months (based on my dentist’s preference) from your last check-up. Due to the quarantine that is still going on in my area, I have an excuse to not be able to attend my dentist. 

Balletcorg says Stretches

“Stretches! It feels great and improves your range of motion, which your body will appreciate when you get older.”

I automatically stretch the moment I wake up. If you’re not already doing this here are some reasons why. Stretching will help you improve your joints move through a range of motion (as what Balletcorg mentioned), enable muscles to work more effectively, decrease in injuries and improve physical activity performance (such as an aerobic activity). You can learn more about the stretching benefits here.

When you yawn and stretch after a good night’s rest, it’s called pandiculation. It’s pretty much the nervous system’s way of waking you up and getting your body prepared before the day. Think of it like the circadian clock- your body wakes you up when there’s light and makes you fall asleep when it’s dark.

Try doing this for yourself after you wake up. Keep your breath at the natural level and stretch every single part of your body once at a time (e.g. hands, neck, shoulders, and legs). Hold for at least 30 seconds. Other areas that need more attention should be held for 60 seconds. 

If you prefer something visual, check out this video by “AskDoctorJo”. She shares a whole-body routine of stretches just for beginners. 

Meetmeinthehallway says Clean your Phone Screen

“Clean your cell phone screen! It’s more dirty [dirtier] than you think.”

Ahh yes… The good ol’ clean your phone tip. Every day tons of people are using their smartphones excessively so this is good advice to follow by. Along with the COVID-19 event still happening it is highly recommended to clean your phone screen once or twice a week (we don’t know where everything has been touched).

You can use some soap and warm water soaked onto a cloth or instant wet wipes. The one thing I should note is to check if your phone is waterproof (rather be safe than sorry). But if that happens, just do the quick tactic of putting your phone in a bag of rice. 

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ChadTheMagnificent says Meditate

“Just sit down, drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, take a deep breath and, just think about stuff, this honestly helps a lot with being anxious about something since you take time out of your day to think and slowly process it.”

As Chad mentioned, this is a meditation technique that I highly recommend installing into your daily routine. While every day you spend time working your brain off and stressing over the big things, it’s time to take a step back and give your mind a little break.

I won’t go into depth on meditation in this post but I want to share one of my favourite meditation playlists on YouTube that would be helpful for beginners. 

True_Mad_Lad says Wash your Face

“Wash your face. Guys, even if it’s just a rinse!”

Do you wash your face? I swear I find it weird to hear some people that don’t even wash their face in the morning or before bed at all! (Or is that just me?)

Washing your face in the morning helps wake you up from your “sleepy mode” and takes off gritty stuff between your eyelids when you sleep. This doesn’t mean using soap and water. Using soap on the face can actually damage your outer layer of the skin and can cause breakouts like acne and inflammation (so I suggest not using regular bar soap).

Hence why you see a bunch of facial skincare products for your face. Use those instead of the soap as they help cleanse your skin from oil, dirt, unwanted debris and build-ups. Not only that but you get a fresh, clean, healthy and bright looking skin. You can read more about it here.

Camelliaaa88 says Present Mindfulness

“Stop and just notice what’s happening around you – what do you hear, see, smell, taste, feel. It’s like pausing your own movie and put yourself in perspective.”

Another great mindfulness technique that I also live by. I do this sometimes when I get distracted from my work (shh don’t tell anyone). But it’s great because you really get to stop and realise where you are in the present.

You can use this to practice your gratitude. This is an affirmation of positivity where you are grateful for what you presently have in your life. Not many people practice this technique because the human mind always wants something more. For example, you saw someone with a Gucci handbag and you tell yourself you want that. So you save up just for that one bag and in reality, you already got the seasonal Louis Vuitton handbag. Now think about someone else who also wants your Louis Vuitton handbag?

No matter how small or big the gift is, practising gratitude can help improve your emotions, physical & mental health, increase empathy, sleep better, and strengthen relationships.

Pandafrompluto says Drink Water

“Drinking a glass of water when they first wake up. It rehydrates {dehydrates} your body from going without for hours while you’re sleeping.”

Very, very important! Drink water the moment you wake up (and throughout the day). Based on my own experience when I drink water in the morning it helps wake me up and get me ready for the day.

Did you know that your body is made up of about 60% of water? (I’m pretty sure I mentioned this in my older posts). This helps maintain the balance of bodily fluids involving circulation, the creation of saliva, digestion, nutrients transportation, body temperature and absorption. The fluid you lose occurs from skin evaporation, breathing, urinating, and stool (I know, sounds gross but at least you know what the water is used for).

So remember this: 

• Drink water (or any beverage) several glasses per day with every snack and meal.
• Keep a water bottle with you, whether that be on your desk, bag or car. 
• Eat more fruits and vegetables because they have high water content which helps with hydration. 

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NataZing says Clean your Belly Button

“Cleaning your belly button, I feel like people forget about it more than flossing and it can smell really bad after not cleaning for a while.”

Note: she also says clean it once a week.

This may be a strange one but I thought I might like to add it to the list. I’ve never heard of this tip until I stumbled upon NataZing’s comment. I literally forgot I had a belly button!

Based on research, there are 67 different types of bacteria in the average belly button (wait, what???). I’m likely both disgusted and intrigued.

It’s pretty simple and easy to clean your belly button. I’m going to share the instructions based on this Healthline article.

Cleaning your “innie” belly button: 

1. Before your next shower, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and gently rub the surfaces inside your belly button. Switch to a new swab when it gets dirty.
2. Once the cotton swab comes out clean, use a fresh one dipped in water to rinse alcohol out.
3. Following your shower, gently dry with another clean, dry swab or the corner of a towel or washcloth.

Cleaning the “outie” belly button:

1. Gently scrub your bellybutton with a washcloth and rinse off the soap.
2. Dry your belly button thoroughly after your shower.
3. Massage some lotion onto your belly button. 

Tornadospring says Check up on Friends

“Checking up on friends being in a tough spot like depression, heartbreak, financial, family and job issues. Doesn’t take much time with phones nowadays and can mean the world to them.”

This one is important. 2020 Has been a rough year with many facing their battles against suicide and depression (if you’re sensitive to this type of trigger, skip to list 10).

A few months back, a fellow honourable Twitch streamer “Reckful” took his own life and fought depression (it was also noted that he was bipolar as well). Based on Mizkif (who was very close with Reckful), he kept in touch with him often but it wasn’t enough. Addition to the online harassment, it’s tough if you’re sharing yourself over the internet.

Just late last night, I checked up on a very close friend of mine to see if he was ok (all of us are busy with our stuff). So have the courage to also do that for yourself and others. If you have at least some free time on your hands, check on your friends and family members through your phone even if it means checking up on them before bed.

DavosLostFingers says Do Small Chores

“Just doing a few chores. Make the bed? 3 minutes tops. Wash the dishes? 5 minutes if you get on top of it. Vacuum? If it’s regular it doesn’t take long at all.”

Lastly on this list, just doing the necessaries can have a more productive impact on your day. I’ve made plenty of posts on productivity because I think it’s one of the important things when it comes to personal growth. I mean, how will you complete any of your goals without starting somewhere?

Starting with little goals (including the things DavosLostFingers mentioned) can actually bring a boost to doing more bigger tasks. It makes you more likely to continue your “flow”. Take for example “I need to declutter the house in 1 day”. Rather than just using that as a goal, make little manageable ones like “taking out the trash, cleaning the dishes, doing the bed” etc. You can use Microsoft To-Do app to keep track of your tasks.

This helps with you not getting overwhelmed. You wouldn’t want to clean the dishes if you see a large stack in the sink, right? Try and do those small chores during your break time. It helps if you’re working on a computer because it gives your eyes a break from any eye strains and migraines. 

Conclusion

Which Redditor’s advice should you add to your daily routine? Also, what are your favourites and what are things that you just learned today in this post? 

So focus on the simple things such as mindfulness, brushing and flossing your teeth, drinking water, splashing water on your face and the rest. I can tell you that after a month in time, you’ll become used to these routines that can make for a long-lasting healthy lifestyle.

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