What's a constructive way to spend two free minutes?

January 8, 2024 8:05 AM

I'm looking for some way to spend extra minutes (e.g., between pull-up sets at the gym) that's not randomly scrolling Twitter or similar sites. If I was religious, it might be reading and thinking about a bible verse. Is there a humanist alternative for someone with broad interests?
posted by Jon44 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (25 answers total)

Read, memorize, recite (to yourself) poetry.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:15 AM on January 8, 2024 [9 favorites]

There are poem of the day sites. Might lead to an interest in certain poets.
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:15 AM on January 8, 2024 [4 favorites]

Deep breathing unguided meditation with no screens!

Put the phone down :) Sit or stand, close eyes or open, find a spot either within yourself or somewhere on a blank wall to focus on, and start breathing slow and deep. Inhale. Track the sensation of air going through your nose and filling up your lungs. Exhale. Deliberately slow down your mind and your thoughts as your chest deflates. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until your two minutes are up.

You don't sound like someone who needs more clutter in their brain, nor do you need to put yourself under any more pressure to be productive.
posted by MiraK at 8:16 AM on January 8, 2024 [15 favorites]

DuoLingo! Most of the exercises take 3-5 minutes. If you're not interested in languages, they apparently now have math and music, which I haven't used.
posted by hydropsyche at 8:19 AM on January 8, 2024 [7 favorites]

Alternatively, I will also suggest:

- looking around the gym and making eye-contact and exchanging little nods with other humans. Even a tiny level of social contact is proven to boost your dopamine levels!

- just letting yourself get bored. Put your phone down and whine inside your head for two minutes about how much it sucks that you cannot look at a screen right now. Let your mind wander if the whining gets boring. This is proven to be excellent for creativity!

But whatever you choose to do I hope you will pick an option that involves putting your phone away and doing something that does not involve screens. Give your brain and eyes a break from the constant barrage of "a little bit of everything all the time."
posted by MiraK at 8:25 AM on January 8, 2024 [8 favorites]

Two minutes? There is no functionally constructive way to spend two minutes between tasks unless you're doing something frantic. Live in the moment. Be in touch with your body and what it's trying to tell you. You don't need your phone between sets. Feel, observe, prepare.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 8:25 AM on January 8, 2024 [6 favorites]

I don't do gym stuff but I run into the "two minutes of time to kill" thing at the bus stop and I usually use it for some sort of mindfulness - either a body scan meditation, or taking a minute to think about what I can see/hear/smell (maybe not smell, depending on where the bus stop is). In the past sometimes I've used that as time for a quick balancing exercise because my ankles suck and I can always use a little practice standing on one foot.

If I had, say, a spare five minutes, I might use it for a quick "hey, I was thinking of you, hope you're doing well!" message to someone I haven't talked to enough recently.
posted by Stacey at 8:35 AM on January 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

You’re already doing something useful with those two minutes - you’re getting your body ready for the next set. Breathe, focus, and get your head clear and straight. Call it meditation if it makes you feel better.
posted by Puppy McSock at 8:47 AM on January 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

Do you listen to music when you work out? You can listen to educational podcasts or a new language learning program. Or open a language learning app if you have 2 minutes, it will add up over time. Play chess on an app against a computer (so you don't have a real opponent waiting for you). Crossword. Text a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Make a grocery list or a to-do list. Look up whether your library has a specific book available that you want to read and reserve it for pickup later. Find a recipe to cook for dinner or decide on your takeout order. Schedule a doctor appointment. Pay your bills. If you're at home, grab 2 things laying around and put them where they belong, or wipe down the kitchen cabinets. Read a blog post (not scroll mindlessly but find a blog you like).
posted by dabadoo at 8:59 AM on January 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

This is perhaps not what you were looking for, but I always shift to an exercise that works different muscles while recovering between sets. So I do Set 1 of Exercise A, then Set 1 of Exercise B, before undertaking Set 2 of Exercise A. It keeps me in constant motion/activity even while allowing for sufficient recovery time, and lets me avoid time spent just doing nothing which for me is *torture*.
posted by DrGail at 9:30 AM on January 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

This is similar to meditation:

Things I'm thankful for.

Things I'm looking forward to.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 9:37 AM on January 8, 2024 [4 favorites]

Read haikus. If you want to minimize screen time, buy a book of haikus and bring it to the gym.
posted by virve at 9:44 AM on January 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

Box breathing resets the vagus nerve
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:50 AM on January 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

Loch Kelly “glimpse” meditation

You may have to try it outside of a work out to get the hang of it but once you know how to do it, 2mins is plenty. Shifts your mind out of clutter mode into expansive awareness.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:54 AM on January 8, 2024

I have practiced mindful meditation over the years. I have found that a mindful breathing meditation to be very helpful when working out. My heartrate will drop into an active recovery level in a very short time.
posted by zerobyproxy at 10:10 AM on January 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

Between heavy sets, I often play a hand or two of cribbage (against the computer) on an app on my phone. Each hand is quick (<60s), so it's easy to time my recovery period.
posted by quadrilaterals at 10:57 AM on January 8, 2024

Whenever I need to kill a minute or two, I balance on one foot. It takes just enough concentration that I don't get bored. If it's too easy, try it with your eyes closed.
posted by silverstatue at 12:56 PM on January 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

duolingo
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:09 PM on January 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

Stretch. The muscle groups you're going to do next, not the ones you're currently doing. If you type a lot, consider carpal tunnel stretches.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 2:46 PM on January 8, 2024

Whenever I need to kill a minute or two, I balance on one foot. It takes just enough concentration that I don't get bored. If it's too easy, try it with your eyes closed.

But then what would you do when you brush your teeth?
posted by dobbs at 3:55 PM on January 8, 2024 [4 favorites]

Put weights away that other people have abandoned.

Make small talk with your fellow gym rats.

Stare into space.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:06 PM on January 8, 2024 [4 favorites]

Chess puzzles. “White to move and checkmate in 2 moves. “
posted by at at 7:48 PM on January 8, 2024

If you have a project you're working on, you can think about what you're going to do next on that.
posted by panic at 8:15 PM on January 8, 2024

There's a lot of overlap between humanism and Stoic philosophy. You can find scores of quotes and practices online that you could read and think about.
posted by interbeing at 7:32 AM on January 9, 2024

Work another muscle group during your rest interval
posted by sid at 12:58 PM on January 9, 2024