Meditation is misunderstood because it doesn't look like anything happens in those torturous few minutes of motionlessness. But everything happens when you meditate. Whole worlds are dismantled, innumerable scores are settled, grievous deeds are undone, and the entire universe settles at rest.
Karen Maezen Miller has a blog, some books and is a teacher of Zen in a center and on retreats. Her book "Hand Wash Cold" has many highly quotable passages. I haven't read "Momma Zen" but her Amazon page has some recent quotes from her blog. She is a toughy, a young wife and mother, reminding me of Charlotte Joko Beck. I follow her blog on mine and try to stay up with her current posts.
I am an elderly but impatient man. I say "but" because you might expect a person into his 8th decade to have learned patience. I have learned a little but I still enjoy speed: rapidly absorbing a book, quickly cooking a fine meal, gobbling instead of savoring a delicious chocolate truffe. So, when I read The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson and his recipe for 10-20 minutes of meditation once or twice a day, I memorized the least time that fit: 10 minutes a day. I have kept my eye on duration-of-meditation prescriptions in various authors since. I have a friend who once told me that 8 hours of meditation is great for him. Ekhart Tolle says that one doesn't need any meditation practice but just needs to stay mindful of the present moment. B. Alan Wallace says that Indian and Chinese meditaters independently reached the conclusion that the ideal length of a session was 24 minutes. Victor Davich says that 8 minutes is enough.
I have practiced for about 10 minutes a day for about 16 years and I have found that a convenient length. My impatient and antsy self can tolerate that period and I have trouble saying to myself that I can't spare 10 minutes. Remember those words from Karen Miller: "But everything happens when you meditate. Whole worlds are dismantled, innumerable scores are settled, grievous deeds are undone, and the entire universe settles at rest." If ten are too many, do one for a while. You will probably find that you want 2 or 3 minutes after a few tries.
