Feeling stressed? Do a tiny project.

In a world that often feels frightening, depressing, and baffling, completing a tiny project is one way to feel a little more powerful.

What is a tiny project?

It’s a very small project that feels beautiful, meaningful, and inspiring to you. Something you can realistically complete in about 25 minutes or less.

Why bother doing this?

Because tiny projects make a big difference. Your tiny project (poster, card, class, gift, audio message, whatever you decide to create) could significantly change someone’s day. Maybe one person. Maybe ten people. One thousand. Or more. There’s no telling how many people will be impacted by your contribution. Tiny things are a big deal.

Want to make a tiny project…but not sure what to do?

Here are 15 tiny project ideas:

– Write a beautiful “thank you” letter to someone who has touched your life.

– Record a short audio message for a friend who’s going through a hard time. Let them know that they’re loved, that you’re here to listen, and that they’re not alone.

– Make a homemade poster with an inspiring message that the world needs to hear. Put it somewhere in your city: bulletin board, pinned to a telephone pole, bus stop, etc. Remember that it doesn’t have to look “perfect” or “fancy.” Simple handwriting on a blank piece of plain paper is great.

– Make a special music playlist on Spotify or wherever you listen to music. Share it with friends, colleagues, clients, anyone in your community.

– Draw a picture of your best friend, take a photo of it, and text it to them. (If you’re “terrible” at drawing? Perfect. That means the picture will be extra hilarious and wonderful.)

– Doodle, draw, or paint a very small piece of art. Write an encouraging note on the back. Hide it somewhere so that one day, eventually, a stranger might find it.

– Make a helpful checklist and share it with people who might find it useful. “Boost your immune system” checklist. “How to successfully work from home” checklist. “Fun activities to do indoors” checklist. “Steps to launch a business” checklist. “Get ready for college” checklist. Any topic you want.

– Write a glowing 5-star review about a book, product, or business that you really love. (The author or artist will appreciate it so much!)

– Write a short statement about “my biggest lesson from 2020, so far” and post it online, share it with your family, or both.

– Write a list of what you’d want to do if you had 24 hours to live.

– Ask an elder (parent, grandparent, auntie, etc.) to describe their childhood home. Where was it? What did it look like? Feel like? Record their response on your phone and save the audio.

– Write a “You’re totally awesome” note to someone who always makes your day a little better–a bus driver, teacher, barista, assistant, intern, whoever you want.

– Write a letter to an elected representative (mayor of your town, senator, etc.) to say “thanks for the great work” and/or encourage them to make a particular change that you’d like to see.

– Make a very fancy cheese and fruit platter and deliver it to a friend. If you can’t visit in person, see if you can mail them a gift, or get something delivered.

– Write a fan letter to someone you really admire–a famous person, or a totally-not-famous person–with no strings attached, and no expectation of getting a reply. Purely just to say, “Your work has touched my life.”

– Plan a wonderful party (letter-writing party, vision board party, book club meeting, taco night, whatever you want) and write a beautiful invitation. Send it to your friends. (You can meet with people virtually/online if you need to. Try Zoom, Skype, or Facetime.)

– Or, come up with another tiny project that sounds fun to you.

Complete a tiny project.

Lift your own mood while uplifting others, too.

Your efforts matter so much.