How to Accomplish Anything You Want in Just 10 Minutes a Day | Zee Najarian | TEDxRobinson Road

Key wellness, self-care, and productivity strategies

Use a “10 minutes a day” commitment to build momentum

• Write, stretch, learn a skill, meditate, or work on a neglected relationship—anything you want to progress on.
• Treat 10 minutes as focused and intentional, not “waiting for the right time.”

Leverage neuroscience for habit-building

• Repeated deliberate actions help your brain adapt by building myelin, making behaviors easier and more natural over time.
• The practice isn’t only time spent—it’s identity and skill construction through repetition.

Make self-trust via follow-through

Each day you keep the “small promise” (your 10 minutes), you build:

• confidence,
• identity (“I do what I say I will do”),
• willingness to attempt bigger goals.

Do a “gap-closing” morning experiment for joy and alignment

Before the day starts, spend 10 minutes (daily) on practices like:

• meditation
• walking
• listening to audiobooks

Goal: reduce the mismatch between who you are at work vs. who you are when no one is watching.

Use a 3-step method to start and finish what you’ve been avoiding

1. Name the chapter before you write it

   • Use a title (e.g., “The year I figured out what brings me joy”) rather than a vague goal/objective.
   • Frame your brain’s direction like story-writing: give it a clear narrative to follow.

2. Take the next small, simple step (10 minutes/day)

   • If writing a book, for example:
     • spend 10 minutes learning how to self-publish,
     • then journal 10 minutes to clarify your topic,
     • then continue with the next small step.

3. Protect the 10 minutes as “sacred”

   • Make it non-negotiable:
     • tell others,
     • close the door,
     • put down your phone,
     • schedule it in—because “if you’re not willing to schedule it in, you’re not willing to do it.”

Measure “starts,” not immediate results

• Track progress by attendance:
  • “Every time you show up for your ten minutes, that’s a win.”
• Don’t quit when outcomes are slow—after many starts (e.g., ~30), the results tend to follow.

Reframe “busy”

• “Busy” can be comfortable and socially acceptable, but it may also be an avoidance of silence and self-honesty.
• The speaker challenges the idea that lack of time/talent is the issue—you can start with 10 minutes.

Presenters / sources mentioned

• Zee Najarian (TEDx speaker)
• Will Durant (quoted: “We are what we repeatedly do”)
• Neuroscience (referenced as supporting evidence for habit change via myelin)