But it got me thinking. What's so special about twenty minutes? Why is it such a great response to so many of life's questions? Fifteen minutes just isn't long enough to get much done. Half an hour is too much of a time commitment. Show me a mother that can carve out thirty minutes of uninterrupted time, and I'll show you a woman whose kids are at the grandparents. Not too long -- not too short. Even the most impatient of children, spouses, bosses or friends can usually accept a twenty minute hiatus. And look at all that you can accomplish...

In twenty minutes you can:

• Nurse a baby
• Take a power nap
• Make a business call
• Make a grocery list
• Meditate
• Pray
• Jot down thoughts for tomorrow's blog.
• Read an article in your favorite magazine
• Check your e-mail (and even respond to a few!)
• Paint your toenails
• Get in a quick exercise session (my trainer recently gave us a twenty minute weight lifting workout that hits all the major muscle groups and leaves you feeling invigorated and STRONG! Let me know if you'd like a copy!)
• Do a little dance
• Make a little love
• And so much more...

When I was writing my book "Zen and the Art of Housekeeping: The Path to Finding Meaning in Your Cleaning", it became clear to me that a lot of the household tasks that seem overwhelming when you put them off to be done at some later date in a cleaning marathon (YUCH!) can be accomplished more effectively and less painfully when you do them in short bursts of, say...twenty minutes. Load the dishwasher, fold the towels, make up the beds. These chores can be done in twenty minutes of contemplative quiet time and then you're ready to get on with your life!

In this crazy, harried, hustling, bustling world we live in -- and particularly as women and mothers -- we have to work (and work hard!) to carve out time for ourselves and for our families. Life is really not lived in terms of years, or months or even days. It is in the moments. And I highly recommend making the most of twenty moments at a time, to be exact. If we utilize those twenty minute gifts of time to the fullest, we can change the world. Not to mention make a heck of a dinner!

Lauren Cassel Brownell serves as the Consulting Group Director for Hybrid Mom Consulting & Media Group. She is the author of "Zen and the Art of Housekeeping: The Path to Finding Meaning in Your Cleaning" and lives with her husband and two children in Jacksonville, Florida; You can also read her mommy blog for Jacksonville's Skirt Magazine at http://jacksonville.skirt.com/blog.