The 10-second trick that saves hours
- Michael Reilly Peraza
- May 12
- 3 min read
Updated: May 13
Do you find yourself reaching the end of your day and wondering where the heck did all your time go? Yeah, me too.
You go into the day with the best of intentions. You've got a list of things to do that you think is reasonable for a single day (is it?). Then, you reach the end of the day, and the list is still looming. You thought you’d be able to get more done, but somehow parts of the day just went missing.
I’ve got a neat little trick that will keep you from losing so much time to the time gremlins.
I realized that the problem with my productivity had less to do with the time I spent working and more to do with the time in-between my work.
Emails and texts that siphoned away my time and energy
Short breaks that turned into long breaks
Distracting thought spirals that occupied my mind
...And don’t get me started on “scrolling”
The trick I started using is super simple and ridiculously easy: every time I finish an activity—whether it’s sending off a message, finishing a meeting, or even just brushing my teeth—I take 10 seconds to celebrate what I just did and express gratitude to myself for doing that thing I just did.
That's it. 10 seconds of "Celebratude."
Just sent off an email? Thank you, me, way to go! That email communicated something that needed communicating, and now it's done. Heck yeah!
Those 10 seconds of celebration plus gratitude reset your brain and body. And by doing it repeatedly every time you notice yourself finishing something, they'll raise your baseline mood for the day—and you can probably imagine how that effect trickles down to improve your performance, wellbeing, and relationships.
By the end of my 10 seconds of Celebratude, I have the clarity to know what activity I need to do next and the enthusiasm to go tackle it.
It also helps me notice when I need a break. And it helps me notice when my break has been long enough. A 5-minute break stays a 5-minute break. Sitting down to play a song on the guitar stays just one song on the guitar. Watching a YouTube video stays just one YouTube video. Goodbye to hours of clicking “just one more.” Incredibly, a 10-second Celebratude after finishing an online video can interrupt a doomscrolling cycle!
My 10 seconds of Celebratude helps me keep going throughout the day without overdoing it, without burning out.
And it can take any form you like! You can clap your hands, pump your fists, give a big smile, sing a song; anything that reflects that celebration and gratitude. I have one client who wanted a way to do it that no one would notice, so she came up with something really subtle: she taps her thumbs and forefingers together with each hand in a little move we call "Crab Claps."
Me, I like to dance for 10 seconds. And if I don't have the luxury of dancing, I just bop my head to a silent beat.
One person I worked with started off feeling very self-conscious about their Celebratude, keeping their Celebratudes small and internalized. And that worked for them! After a couple of weeks of doing it, though, they found themselves getting bigger with it, enjoying it, and even looking forward to it. They went from quietly saying "yay" to themselves to throwing a full-on 10-second dance party.
There's a reasonable neuroscience-based explanation for what's happening here. Taking 10 seconds to celebrate triggers a release of neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, while also lowering cortisol, all of which reinforces neural pathways for positive thought and behavior. It also activates the prefrontal cortex, shifting you from reactive to responsive, boosting motivation, and reinforcing habit formation. You end up associating the completion of an activity with satisfaction.
So, what are you gonna do for your 10 second Celebratudes? Let us know in the comments!
The gist: Doing a short 10-second celebration mixed with gratitude (Celebratude):
Raises your baseline mood for the whole day
Gives you the clarity to know what the most important thing to do next is
Gives you the enthusiasm to go do that thing
Keeps your 5-minute break from turning into 20-minutes or an hour (or longer!)
Keeps you from doomscrolling
Saves you time!
Now, I’m gonna go take 10 seconds to “Celebratude” finishing this blog post.
I invite you to do the same!
Want to work with the person who wrote this post? Michael Reilly Peraza is a transformational life coach who helps people build the lives they want for themselves.
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