What's that you say? You haven't got even one spare minute, what with your normal workload, and Christmas shopping and the stress of balancing budgets?

It's true that many of us feel time poor these days, and it's not just because we all feel overstretched at work. That sense of deadlines and runaway trains overflows into our personal lives.

So this week I invite you simply to think about what you would do if you did have an extra five minutes, just for you. What would you choose to do? Here are some ideas:

•Relax (I mean really relax) with a nice cup of tea

•Take a quick power nap

•Phone (not text!) your best friend to share a joke

•Cuddle the kids, the dog or your favourite soft toy

•Read a poem

•Blow up a balloon and let it fly free

•Tidy a sock drawer (amazingly therapeutic!)

•Draw up a list of your goals for 2010

•Write about your ideal job

•Lock yourself away in a quiet room and just sit doing absolutely nothing

The list is endless. Maybe you’d even use the five minutes to write out a list of things you will do whenever you have five minutes spare?

All the research shows that if you take short breaks doing things you enjoy,even if they feel a bit silly at times –like blowing up a balloon – you return to your day more energised and happier.

So take five today,and every day this week and see how much time you can invest in yourself.