{"id":25966,"date":"2014-05-20T22:20:19","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T06:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=25966"},"modified":"2014-05-20T22:20:19","modified_gmt":"2014-05-21T06:20:19","slug":"5-effective-time-hacks-stop-procrastination-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-effective-time-hacks-stop-procrastination-fast\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Effective Time Hacks To Stop Procrastination Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”<\/p>\n

~ Jim Rohn<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The passage of time\u00a0is an infrequently used, but\u00a0extremely effective\u00a0spark\u00a0for taking action.<\/p>\n

In my ten years\u00a0of studying personal growth and productivity, and from surveying my readers, I’ve noticed that one of the biggest problems people have is procrastination, and that the biggest reason for that<\/em> is a failure to start.<\/p>\n

If you have trouble “self-starting,” you can use father time get you going. These\u00a0five specific “timer\u00a0hacks” can\u00a0help you stop procrastination before it’s too late and you’re cramming for an exam, freaking out over\u00a0a messy home, sorting through dozens of unprocessed\u00a0emails, and\u00a0wondering why you didn’t exercise earlier when you had the chance.<\/p>\n

Are you ready to increase your productivity and spend your time more efficiently? Let’s go! *Timer starts now* \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

The Countdown Starter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How it works:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>When the timer runs out, you must start your task immediately.<\/em><\/p>\n

When you need to get started on a task, but motivation is low and you’re stalling, run a countdown timer.\u00a0This works every time for me. Combined with my mini habits concept<\/a> of starting “stupid small,” this strategy is\u00a0sure\u00a0to get you moving.<\/p>\n

To combine it with the mini habits strategy, pinpoint the first very small action you can take to move forward. If you’re stalling to go to the gym, the first step is often changing into gym clothes (or more specifically, putting on gym shorts). When the timer hits zero, commit to taking that first step.<\/p>\n

The reason this works is because it gives us a clear starting point. When you can start “anytime,” you’ll often choose\u00a0to procrastinate. As for how long to give yourself, that may vary with context. When I use this method and I’m not busy with something else, I often give myself 60 seconds: enough time to relax and prepare myself\u00a0for taking action.<\/p>\n

The Decision Countdown<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How it works:\u00a0<\/strong>You must make a firm<\/strong> decision before the timer runs out!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Use a countdown timer to put gentle pressure on yourself to make a specific decision or a general “I need to do something, but what?” decision. Putting this pressure on yourself and practicing it daily is a great way to improve your decision-making confidence and speed. Pressure is a little bit uncomfortable, but as long as it isn’t overbearing, it is very useful to get us moving!<\/p>\n

Make sure you give yourself enough time to deliberate over your options, but not too much time. I’ve found the sweet spot for me to be\u00a03-10 minute countdowns, depending on the complexity of the decision.<\/p>\n

The Focus Timer\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How it works:\u00a0<\/strong>For\u00a0X\u00a0minutes, you must focus on\u00a0one\u00a0task of choice (with strict rules for\u00a0distractions).<\/em><\/p>\n

When I do this, I often exceed my target time because I’ll become absorbed in the task.<\/p>\n

Tip: If you have a Mac, use the fullscreen function, which completely blocks out everything but that\u00a0one\u00a0program. Set a rule that you can’t switch away to another program\u00a0for any reason until time runs out. Trust me, even little things like, “I think I’ll put on a song in the background” are deceptively lethal to productivity: small concessions spawn distraction. Don’t move away from your focus area for any reason.<\/p>\n

If it seems too hard to completely focus on one thing for very long, you simply need practice. Set your goal for 5 minutes of focus and work your way up to a more substantial amount of time. What you practice on a daily basis\u2014whether it’s distracting yourself or focusing\u2014is what you’ll “get good at.” Most people today are adept\u00a0at responding to text and Facebook notifications and not very skilled\u00a0at focusing on important things. With practice, we can change that!<\/p>\n

The Pomodoro Technique<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How it works:\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Work 25 minutes, rest 5 minutes. Repeat.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a popular technique that works well. My only gripe is that when I’m focused on a project, I will work for more than 25 minutes. I’m not convinced that 25 minutes is magical, or that it should be the same amount of time each day. I go more by feel. Sometimes I know I can focus for an hour or more. Other times, I’m lucky to get 20 minutes (or so I think until I get started!).<\/p>\n

That said, the principle is sound, it will work, and it is much<\/em>\u00a0better than nothing. From\u00a0wikipedia<\/a>, this is the pomodoro process:<\/p>\n

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  1. Decide on the task to be done<\/li>\n
  2. Set the pomodoro timer to n minutes (traditionally 25)
    \n<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n
  3. Work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x<\/li>\n
  4. Take a short break (3-5 minutes)<\/li>\n
  5. Every four “pomodori” take a longer break (15\u201330 minutes)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Work & Play Carousel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    How it works:<\/strong>\u00a0Work for an hour, relax for an hour. Repeat.<\/em><\/p>\n

    This back-and-forth technique\u00a0rewards you handsomely for each segment of work you do.<\/p>\n

    “But that break is way too long!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If you\u00a0think it’s a bad idea to\u00a0increase your\u00a0relaxation\u00a0time, consider this: Greeks worked an average of 2,034 hours in 2012; Germans though, worked an averaged of\u00a0just 1,397 hours in 2012 (source:\u00a0OECD<\/a>). And\u00a0while Greeks worked more hours, Germans were 70{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} more efficient<\/em>\u00a0in terms of GDP per hour worked (making them more productive despite\u00a0working fewer hours). It’s not a perfect comparison because of other socioeconomic factors of these countries, but it drives home the point that:<\/p>\n

    Time spent working is an incomplete measure of productivity.<\/strong> \u00a0(Click to tweet<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    An hour of hard, focused work can\u00a0absolutely<\/em>\u00a0be worth two hours of\u00a0reward in some cases.\u00a0You’ve likely had times where you “worked” for 4 hours and accomplished very little, and times where you\u00a0worked<\/em>\u00a0for 20 minutes and deserved a trophy for all you accomplished.<\/p>\n

    Parkinson’s law states that work contracts or expands to fill the time you allot for it. If you give yourself more\u00a0“R&R” and less time for work,\u00a0you might find yourself doing more to maximize your work efficiency because of this phenomenon. One more thing:\u00a0consider the increased energy you’ll have from being well-rested,\u00a0which can be utilized for better focus and higher work intensity.<\/p>\n

    The Pomodoro technique is based on giving your body and brain short breaks for rest and revitalization purposes (to help you prepare for another session of work).\u00a0This “carousel” technique is based more on creating a positive neurological association between work and play: the brain always prefers the activities that directly precede rewards (as we know from the science of habit structure).\u00a0Being sufficiently rewarded after working\u00a0creates a positive perception of work; over time, this decreases your subconscious resistance to working.<\/p>\n

    Timer Tools<\/h3>\n

    Now you have the methods, but you still need a timer!\u00a0Here are some\u00a0free timer\u00a0tools\u00a0you can\u00a0use:<\/p>\n