If you’re already mulling over your forthcoming New Year’s resolutions and have landed on the classic to read more, may we suggest bookmarking this post from Tor.com? For must of us, starting off with a soft launch and lower commitment level can often lead to more concrete changes of habit! Reading 7 minutes a day, every day, for 7 days, and then building on that sounds a lot more approachable than reading for 30 mins a day right off the bat.

I’m the type of reader who hates having to put down a book before I’ve finished a chapter, which means that when I’ve only got a few minutes to spare I often turn to social media instead of reading. But sometimes instead of scrolling I want to optimize that time and that’s where flash fiction comes in to save the day—or, rather, the minutes. If you’re also looking to make the most of your fragments of free time with some short but impactful sci-fi goodness, here are seven of my favorite very short stories.