For many of us, procrastination isn't
necessarily a matter of laziness, but of
being daunted by the challenge of a
large task. To get over the initiation
anxiety, plan to work on a task for
five minutes. No more.
The idea seems counter-intuitive, but
it helps separate how big the task is in
your mind from actually getting
started. As Psychology Today explains,
if you limit yourself to only five
minutes, it makes it easier to get the
motivation to start. Once you do, you
may not want to stop. Even if you do
stick to the five minute commitment,
once you've started, you know exactly
where you left off and picking it up
again later will be easier:
You pick the task you want to
work on, and you vow to work
on it for five minutes, and five
minutes only. Yes, you must stop
after just five minutes. "What
can I possibly get done in five
minutes?" you might ask. But that
is the procrastinator talking—the
voice that would at this very
moment lobby for doing nothing
rather than doing anything at all.
Are you going to listen to that
voice? Don't. So let's ask again:
What can you get done in five
minutes?
Five minutes' more work than
you would have done otherwise—
and often the hardest part of all.
If you have a knack for bouncing
from one task to the next without
actually stopping to work on the one
you really need to be doing, this trick
could help break it down to fit your
brain's own habits. Procrastination is,
after all, largely a psychological
barrier rather than a practical one.
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