Kate Bratskeir writes for Huffington Post:

Want to make the world a better place? Want to get a leg-up at work? Good -- you can do both. Enter the five-minute favor.

The concept is no more complicated than its name alludes: Take five minutes out of your day to do something that'll benefit another person. That's it.

"Even if you have no time, you can make time for five minutes," says Adam Rifkin, co-founder of PandaWhale and the man who gave a name to this small act of kindness. Rifkin began to perform daily, five-minute favors when he first got started in Silicon Valley in the late 1990s.

Great to see the word spreading!

I love this concept and try to live by it.   It is a great way to spread a little joy in the world.   I honestly think it gives me add much of a bossy add it gives the other person! 

As much of a boost!   Ah the perils of typing on an android!  :-)

Patricia, I hear you. I agree, it adds joy to the world AND gives us a boost too.

More about the Five Minute Favor by me and Kare Anderson in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2013/07/17/pay-it-forward-with-the-five-minute-favor/

PandaWhale discussion about Five Minute Favor a year ago:

http://pandawhale.com/post/2500/five-minute-favor

Related is this article on How Goofing Off Can Make You More Successful:

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130903153825-8244-how-goofing-off-can-make-you-more-successful

Here's the PandaWhale discussion of that article:

http://pandawhale.com/post/26662/how-goofing-off-can-make-you-more-successful-linkedin

Here's my favorite part of Kate's article:

Even if you don't get a favor in return, you'll reap some big benefits. Giving has strong ties to longevity and happiness. Better yet, a recent study found that giving to those with whom you share a social connection (like the coworkers you spend your most of your weekdays with) can improve these happy feelings that come with being generous.

Plus, the action might be your ticket to overcoming a work slump. "What's nice is that it gets you out of routine. It forces you to think about somebody else." These are just the kinds of breaks that Tony Schwartz so heartily advocates when it comes to productivity. You'll be giving your brain the opportunity to switch gears and prevent burn out. "It kind of clears your mind for a bit," Rifkin explains. "It is a form ameditation in a sense."

And if you believe in karma, well, there's always that. As Twyla Tharp puts it, "Generosity is luck going in the opposite direction, away from you. If you're generous to someone, if you do something to help him out, you are in effect making him lucky. This is important. It's like inviting yourself into a community of good fortune."

You know I love this... it's a mindset that should permeate everything. "What can I do for you," is so important. 

I have noticed that, in general, it makes people happy to help others.

So making it a habit is conducive to happiness.

Kindness and consideration of others is what makes the world go around.