The five tiny to-do’s that will increase productivity and boost your mood today

One of my favourite questions to ask psychologists and mental heath experts is “How can we boost our happiness in just a few minutes, today?”

To my surprise, they always have some totally manageable to-do that almost anyone can execute. Some are meant to make you feel more productive, others can help you break a bad habit.

Here are five tiny tasks experts recommend if you’re looking to increase your happiness today:

1. Text or call a friend

Positive social connections are proven to improve our quality of life and even help us live longer.

Still, people consistently underestimate how much their friends want to hear from them, according to a 2022 study.

An unexpected phone call or text is actually very appreciated. And the research shows that the more surprising the call, the better it’s received.

It doesn’t even have to be a long interaction, Vienna Pharaon, a therapist and author of “The Origins of You,” told CNBC Make It.

A 10-minute catch-up is an easy way to nurture the positive relationships in your life.

“It makes us feel really good to do for others, and the bonus is that it also creates much needed connection,” she says.

2. Do something you’ve been avoiding

Crossing the smallest to-do off your list causes your brain to release dopamine.

“Addressing something you’ve been ignoring lightens the load and allows you to accomplish something that’s been weighing you down,” Pharaon said.

If you’re having trouble narrowing down what you want to execute, take a few things into consideration:

You don’t have to pick a traditional chore.

“Going to bed earlier, drinking more water, having a hard conversation, getting in a challenging workout, putting your phone down at night” — any or all can boost your mood, Pharaon said.

Don’t overextend yourself.

“Choose something that’s challenging for you, but also achievable,” Pharaon says. Maybe you’ve been putting off cancelling some of your streaming services. Unsubscribing will be tedious, but you’ll feel much better afterwards.

Break up a bigger project into more manageable tasks. Deep cleaning your kitchen, for example, might take a couple hours. But you can probably empty out your fridge in five to 10 minutes.

3. Give someone a compliment

People feel better after giving a compliment, according to a 2020 study. Even if they feel anxious leading up to the interaction.

“That quick compliment may boost your mood for longer than you think,” Laurie Santos, a psychology professor at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast, told CNBC Make It.

4. Break a habit using Mel Robbins’ five-second-rule

Before the release of her wildly popular book “The Let Them Theory,” Mel Robbins authored “The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage”.

The book outlines a practice that is meant to help you break bad habits. When you get that jolt of motivation to do something you really want to do, countdown from five to one. Then, complete one action that propels you toward your goal.

“I notice that the longer I wait between my initial impulse to act and physically moving, the louder the excuses get, and the harder it becomes to force myself to move,” Robbins wrote in her book.

Want to stop scrolling and go for a walk? Count down from five to one and then put your phone down.

Are you stuck in a cycle of negative self-talk? Defeat it by counting down and then making an active effort to pivot to more positive thoughts.

“If you have one of those little impulses that are pulling you, if you don’t marry it with an action within five seconds, you pull the emergency brake and kill the idea,” Robbins said in a Ted Talk.

5. Delete your most-used app

Excessive screen time can take away from in-person interactions, says Anna Lembke, the chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic and author of “Dopamine Nation.”

“People really disappear when they’re on their devices and are not able to be fully present for the people who love them,” Lembke says.

To increase the quality of your friendships and even your partnership, get rid of the temptation altogether.

“Delete the app that you spend more time on than you would like and make a commitment to staying off of that app for 30 days,” she says.

Not allowing yourself to use an app you were probably checking dozens of times a day will be uncomfortable, Lembke warns. But the pay-off is worth it.

“In the first two weeks, you’ll crave it and you’ll miss it, and your brain will tell you all the reasons why it’s not a project worth doing,” she says.

“If you can make it about 14 days, you might notice that you actually don’t miss it and that you find you’re feeling better without it.”