5 Spare Minutes

It’s all you need to go the distance.

The Pyramid of Luxuries

The Bespoke - $1,000 Groceries Gift Card

The Ultra High End - $100 Grooming Gift Card

The Superpremium - Yosemite National Park

The Premium Core - Andes Mint

The Accessible Core - 5 Spare Minutes

The Affordable Luxury - TRIVIA: What is algophobia?

The Everyday Luxury - Charity Event + BBQ Social

The Bespoke

Click on the banner to enter The Bespoke Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: $1,000 Grocery Gift Card [ARV $1,000]

• Odds: For every 130 Ducky Tran premium member by the time of judging, I will give out one (1) Grocery gift card

• Contest Period: September 4, 2024 at 10 AM CST to October 1, 2024 at 10 PM CST

The Ultra High End

Previous Contest Winner

The winner of Issue 43 Ultra High End Contest is VU from DALLAS, TEXAS! Here’s his submission for “something sweet”:

Congratulations VU, you won $100 Gift Card to your favorite beverage shop! Don’t forget, most beverage shops also serve ice cream. Check out the other submissions:

I think we need to do another ice cream prize. I’m drooling just looking at some of these submissions. Or an ice cream social! Or both!

This Week’s Contest

Click on the banner to enter The Ultra High End Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

• Prize: $100 Grooming Gift Card [ARV $100]

• Odds: For every 70 Ducky Tran premium members by the time of judging, I will give out a gift card

• Contest Period: September 18, 2024 at 10 AM CST to September 24, 2024 at 10 PM CST

I originally planned to give away a fancy Braun dry/wet shaver, but then I realized because I shave every day doesn’t mean everyone else does. Also, I would be appealing to only half of the members with a manly beard dry/wet shaver.

I decided to give out a grooming gift card so you can buy tools, go to a salon, or purchase was you need for your own personal grooming needs.

I believe self-grooming is a part of self-care. Not just of my military background, but I believe that small things like shaving my face, combing my hair, or even applying lotion can help you be happy. Small victories, small steps are all it takes to reach a bigger goal. If you were saving up for a new grooming tool or just need a haircut, don’t forget to submit.

The Superpremium

This week’s Superpremium topic is Yosemite National Park. I’ve always been an “outdoorsy” person. I enjoy camping, nature, and good ol’ fresh air. One of my favorite places in the world is Yosemite National Park. Some of my fondest memories were of trips to Yosemite. Like many national parks, Yosemite has a way to show us, as humans, how small and feeble we are in the face of nature. At the same time, nature never boasts about its grandeur.

I’m not a fan of heights, so my favorite spots are the large open fields that allow you to look up to the massive rock formations and water falls. The air is cooler and refreshing in the wilderness and combined with the calmness, it has a healing effect that can only be experienced first-hand.

As you know from previous issues, we normally stay at Evergreen Lodge to stay away from the touristy hustle in the Yosemite Valley; however, even the trek from the Lodge to the Valley is an amazing drive, especially early in the morning and you get to see the break of dawn over Half Dome or El Capitan.

I can’t wait to go back and visit Yosemite again, and hopefully you will get a chance if you haven’t already. I’m ready to breathe in the fresh air of the wilderness.

The Premium Core

I remember when my wife and I thought Olive Garden was a super fancy restaurant, it definitely felt that way when we were younger. They even gave you fancy chocolate mints at the end of every meal! How can that not be fancy for teenagers.

Such a fine dining experience and my love for chocolate led to an obsession with Andes mints for a while. I still love them today as it reminds of me of my fancy days at Olive Garden.

You can live it up like I did too!

Deal #1: I will give each member that emails me (via [email protected]) what they thought was fancy when they were younger but turns out to be normal, a 4oz pack of Andes mints. I will give out up to 15 packs.

The Accessible Core

5 Spare Minutes

Since the focus of this issue is time wealth, I wanted to provide some options and effects on how to use 5 spare minutes to improve ourselves. Don’t forget, many times we have more than 5 spare minutes; however, we may not be able to concentrate to use our spare time effectively. By taking it 5 minutes at a time we can get ourselves closer to using our spare time effectively.

1. At times we make excuses in our busy lives to skip a workout, but don’t forget even a 5-minute workout is sufficient. It has been studied and proven that short intermittent workouts can provide similar results as continuous bouts of activity. As you may know, this means better physical health with just 5-minutes a day. Do desk pushups, do air squats anywhere, or even simply walking fast for 5 minutes.

2. Many times, we believe something is incomplete, like washing dishes, if the entire sink is not clean; however, don’t forget every task is made up of smaller tasks. Even if given just 5 minutes, we can pick up a few toys, wash a pot and pan, or sweep the floor. Tackling 5-minute chores will make the over chore more manageable when you have more time to complete it. Plus, the small victories and sense of accomplishment of the sub-quests will make you more efficient in the future.

3. Meditate. It has more than one purpose and is seen as one of the most valuable and viable ways to relieve anxiety. Take 5 minutes to practice deep breathing, or sit in complete silence, or color in a coloring book. These tasks may seem to achieve little in itself, but in fact, they lead to a more efficient mentality and even physical health. This improvement will then transpire to the rest of the daily tasks you may have to tackle.

4. Play a game. Not just any random game, something you have to solve, to think, or teach you something. These games are called serious games. These types of games have been linked to improved cognitive abilities and memory. I sometimes play a sudoku or puzzle when I have some spare time, these are enough to stimulate my mind and not let 5 minutes to waste.

5. This one is one of my weaknesses, but I will try to focus on it more. Re-visit your to do list! Making a list is one thing, but re-visiting is even more valuable. I normally make a list every few weeks. By going back to the list, you can get a sense of accomplishment, realize your next task, manage your time, and at the end, actually complete your list. Don’t let 5 minutes fly by, because 5 minutes every day can add up to a lifetime of skills left behind.

The Affordable Luxury

Issue 43 Community Poll Results

Here’s the results from last week:

1. It looks like most people have between 1-4 hours of free time during a normal day, I hope you’ll use at least 5 spare minutes for self-improvement.

2. The majority agrees that it takes 10,000 hours to master something; however, there are some that believe 100 hours is sufficient. Obviously, it depends; however, my opinion is closer to 10,000 hours.

3. Almost everyone voted for me to try a BBQ social, so I’ll be planning that up again.

This Week’s Community Poll

Here are this week’s poll questions:

The Everyday Luxury

Since most members still want a BBQ social and I want to have a charity event, I’m thinking about combining them. What do you think?

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