Adam Grant shares a concept in his excellent book, Give and Take, called the five-minute favour.
He learnt it from Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Adam Rifkin.
The idea is that if someone asks you for a favour that will take you less than 5 minutes to complete—even if you’ve just met that person for the first time—you should do it.
Five minutes isn’t a huge investment, but it could change another person’s life.
A introduction could help someone make a career change. A piece of advice could help someone successfully pivot their business. Or you could just make someone’s day by doing something small and helpful for them.
The five-minute favour is an interesting concept that’s worth experimenting with.