RuthAnnHarnisch.com

Five Minutes A Day, Max.

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/27/10 at 11:02 am

Day 27

Yesterday I shared the story of someone whose ten-year goal unfolded  before my eyes.  This morning, I saw another ten-year success story, and I took it as a sign to share the source: Delancey Place.  “Eclectic little excerpts,” usually from non-fiction, are delivered to my mailbox every day.

Although I whacked most of my subscriptions to minimize distractions during my sabbatical year, I kept Delancey Place because I get huge returns for a minimal investment of time.  In a minute or two, I usually learn something useful, or am inspired, or surprised by the day’s offering. 

I also kept my subscription to Anu and Stuti Garg’s A Word A Day  (which is where I heard of Delancey Place).  Not only does it help me expand my vocabulary (I don’t actually remember  these words, but at least I look at them),  Anu includes a quotation every day.  The quotation is usually unrelated to the word, but often it’s a sharp and subtle commentary on current events.

It never takes me more than five minutes to read both of them, and sometimes my entire day is different because I’ve got a new perspective. 

Neither Richard Vague nor Anu Garg created the basis for their content – Vague chooses excerpts of other people’s work and Anu provides definitions of pre-existing words – but each of them adds his own creative spin to add value and produce work that others find worthwhile.

How much of my own presence in the world is repackaged content with personal spin added?