They say three is the magic number, but I’m starting to put some stock in 15.

My family’s probably sick of it, but such is the price of my mental stability.

I’ve been learning to play guitar, piano and drums, though my primary focus has certainly been guitar.

It’s probably not the best approach to study multiple instruments at once, but I don’t really care. I’m having fun.

One consistency I’ve found when trying to develop a new skill, and the reason I usually fail, is once we get past the infatuation of the interest of which we are in pursuit, it starts to feel like work.

If there’s one thing most of us born after baby boomers agree on, it's that we generally despise work. I don’t think that makes us lazy, I just think humans kinda chose a really insane and difficult path for surviving and we’re stuck living in the mess.

But anyway, my point is it’s easy for us to convince ourselves that we don’t have time to do things when they start to feel like work.

But if we’re being honest, that’s mostly an excuse.

And that brings me back to 15, specifically 15 minutes. I was surprised to learn on my journey to gain some basic understanding of playing instruments that the recommended daily time for beginners seems to be between 15 minutes and 1 hour per day for about 5 to 7 days a week.

Mileage may vary, but that’s what I’ve seen commonly professed by the online instructors I’ve been following. While they have not elaborated much as to the why, I think I’m starting to understand.

See, 15 minutes is surmountable. It’s long enough to be useful, and short enough to be achievable.

Now I’m sure at 15 minutes a day you can make small gains in something you are trying to achieve. What I’ve found is by committing to the 15 minutes, I end up spending a lot more time on it.

The 15 minutes is something I can convince myself I can squeeze into my day, but it can turn into hours of practice depending on my other commitments.

The real magic is in the consistency of practicing and the momentum that often carries on into much longer practice sessions.

But even when I end my practice after my 15-minute timer goes off, I still feel like I’ve accomplished something.

And, checking a box on a list feels good. I’m not entirely sure why but it does.

I’m sure this isn’t news to many. My 15-minute epiphany may be something you’ve already discovered, or maybe you have a similar method that works. Hell, there are probably books and seminars and self-help salesmen out there who've preached this topic for years.

But it’s new and useful to me, so I’m sharing it and extending a challenge to anyone who is interested in learning something.

Try it for 15 minutes a day.

Maybe you want to develop your ability to write, paint, crochet or play chess. Try your hand at woodworking, learn an instrument, start that podcast, exercise, learn to dance, it really doesn’t matter. Just try the small investment in time on something you enjoy and see what happens.

It’s working well for me and I hope it can for you.

Jimmy Lawton is news editor of North Country This Week and NorthCountryNow.com