TRY SOMETHING NEW
5 Amazing 5‑Minute Life Hacks
No time for self-improvement? You might be surprised by how much you can accomplish in five minutes a day with the help of these clever apps.
1. Find time to relax
App of the Year winner Calm offers a wealth of guided meditations, blissful soundscapes, and peaceful music. If you’re looking to add a bit of gentle movement to your day, try the Daily Move series. In these five-minute iPhone-friendly videos, yoga instructor Mel Mah leads you through simple exercises and satisfying stretches.
2. Read a best-seller
Uptime boils down best-selling books (as well as documentaries, podcasts, and online courses) into a format you can finish in less than five minutes. For each work, you’ll get three key insights and a wrap-up summary. You can choose a format that suits you: text, audio, or a fun social-media-style story.
3. Get moving
App of the Year winner Wakeout guides you through quick exercises you can do wherever you may be: sitting at your desk, standing in your kitchen, even lying on your bed. Looking to improve your core strength? Try the Seated Pilates series or the toning exercises that use water bottles as weights.
4. Learn something new
With its quick, gamelike lessons, Duolingo makes learning feel less like studying and more like playing. Master over 30 languages (including Spanish, Chinese, even Klingon); brush up on math skills, or learn to read music—all through bite-size challenges you can squeeze into your busy schedule. Duolingo leverages machine learning to adapt its lessons to you: When it sees you’re stuck, it evolves its curriculum accordingly.
Keep a journal
Clearful takes away the hardest part of sticking to a daily journaling habit: settling down to write. The app has an entire library of writing prompts to get your creativity, gratitude, and memories flowing; templated entries help you dive deeper into meaningful moments—and dare you to dream big.