The Secret to Beating Procrastination? Start a Timer
When you're in a rut, sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. I've found that something as simple as starting a timer is one of the more effective tools that gets me moving in the right direction.
Procrastination is something that most people have probably experienced at some point in their lives.
Some people might be better at working around it than others. According to the American Psychological Association, 20% of Americans are chronic procrastinators.
That’s a pretty high number when you think about it. That means that 1 in every 5 of your co-workers or classmates is a chronic procrastinator. Sometimes, I think I’m in that group.
I have to-do lists, and I have habits, but from time to time, I can’t help but not do what needs to get done.
Recently, I had to change my car’s engine and cabin air filters.
First, I put off purchasing the filters. When I finally did, it took me all of 5 minutes to find them and order them off of Amazon.
Once they arrived, I procrastinated getting them from the Amazon Locker. Luckily, this has a fixed deadline, so I had to pick them up.
After grabbing them, they just sat in their box underneath my kitchen island. I even procrastinated this final step of actually installing the filters.
Finally, one day a couple weeks after purchasing the filters, I just went down to my car and installed them. It took less than 10 minutes to watch the video and do it myself. But I just waited so long because I could.
It’s so easy to procrastinate at times, especially when there aren’t any fixed deadlines.
How do you deal with procrastination in your personal life or other areas without forced deadlines?
I have a strategy that’s really worked for me.
Just Start a Timer
That heading is pretty much it. Start a timer. If that’s all you came looking for, you can stop reading here.
If you’re still reading, first off, thanks. I think you’ll still learn something.
Secondly, yes, I will elaborate.
Somehow, just starting a timer is a really powerful tool that I’ve found helps me get more done.
When I start a timer, I find I can tolerate something (a task, a chore, etc.) for the time I’ve set.
A lot of my logic behind this comes from the Pomodoro Method.
The quick overview of the Pomodoro Method is that it’s a series of timers: 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of break time. After 4 cycles of the Pomodoro, you take a longer break of 25 minutes.
The beauty of the Pomodoro Method (or even just starting a timer) is that in can be any length. It doesn’t have to be 25 minutes.
If I’m feeling particularly demotivated, I’ll start with a 5-minute timer followed by the 5-minute break.
Almost without fail that duration will be incredibly manageable, so I’ll bump up the timer to 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes.
Next thing I know, I’ve checked a couple things off my list. The timer helps me just do the things that I procrastinated before.
If my kitchen is dirty and feels too overwhelming to clean, I’ll just start a timer. It’s crazy how much you can get done in just a couple minutes.
The other caveat is I’ll force myself to take that break. Stopping myself before I get distracted or bored lets me feel more excited to keep going after the break.
The App I Love Using
The app I most commonly use as a timer is FocusPomo. I used it all throughout writing and publishing this post.
FocusPomo’s UI is simple. You select a focus category and a timer duration, and then you just start.
FocusPomo automatically tracks short and long breaks. After the first 3 focus sessions, it’ll prompt you to take a 5-minute break. After the 4th focus session, it’ll prompt you to take a 25-minute break. Both of these durations are configurable too.
If you go over your focus session because you’re locked in, the app prompts you to add that extra time to the session.
Each timer that you complete grants you this cute little tomato which is also pretty fun.
It’s nothing too fancy, but that’s what I like about it.
There are a lot of timer apps out there, but FocusPomo checks all the boxes for me.
You really don’t even need an app; you can do all this with your phone’s built-in timer, a notecard, and a pen.
Hitting Start on a Better Day
Some tools are ones that I’ve never thought of before. Like emotion tracking from last week.
Other tools can be shockingly simple, like using a timer. Sure, I didn’t always know about the Pomodoro Method, but the timer…the timer has been around for a long time.
The timer is something so simple but very helpful in getting me out of a rut. Sometimes all it takes is hitting start to have a better day.
What’s something you’ve been putting off? How can starting a timer help you do that thing?
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