Is there anything big you have been avoiding doing?
Do you struggle with productivity and putting things off?
If you have just five minutes a day then you might be able to be more productive than you might think.
We’re going to look at how we often put things off, how you can overcome that, and how just five minutes can make such a huge difference in your approach.
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Understanding Some Background
Are you procrastinating something that needs to be taken care of in your life?
This is common for many of us, even if it’s only sometimes.
We have talked about procrastination on the show before on this episode What’s Your Productivity Style? How To Talk About It In English
We’ve talked about procrastination from various angles, but today it’s looking at something interesting and helpful.
Today we are going to talk about an easy way to get yourself started on something you have been avoiding.
No matter how often you procrastinate, there are bound to be times when you might put things off.
If a task seems difficult or if it is new to you, then it can be natural for you to want to put it off.
We’re going to look at an article that delves into this, and how you can get started on something that you may have put off for a bit.
An Interesting Point of View To Consider On This
There’s a really interesting article on inc.com about the idea of how five minutes can change your ability to put things off and get them done instead.
The article was featured in Inc.com, and it’s called “Are You a Procrastinator? This Simple 5-Minute Trick Will Completely Change Your Life” by Justin Bariso.
The name of book is “EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence.”
The article talks about how we can avoid things we need to do– it may be that we don’t have time to complete the task or any number of reasons.
Justin Bariso discusses the “5 minute rule” which comes from cognitive behavioral therapy, and he calls it “the trailer.”
So what is this and what does it mean?
Basically it means that you commit to just starting a task, and saying that you will dedicate five minutes to it.
From there, you can stop and feel productive or you may find yourself with the desire to keep going and get more done!
Either way you get something done or at least begin the task at hand.
The article discusses how if you know it’s only 5 minutes, you may be more productive in that 5 minutes than usual.
It’s such a small amount of time, and yet it’s very achievable to commit to this.
It’s less intimidating or overwhelming and so you are likely to say “I can do just 5 minutes of this!”
It’s all about getting started and what happens from there is up to you.
But if you approach it as only five minutes then you are likely to get started and you may even stick with it and be super productive.
It makes good sense and it’s worth a try with something that you have put off for awhile.
Can You Make This Work In Your Life?
Do you think this is a good idea?
Do you ever do this?
We’re all different, but you may look at this as it’s only 5 minutes and so it’s not much time to lose.
Breaking things up in this way may very well work wonders for you being productive.
Let’s say that you have tests to grade for example, and you put aside a few minutes and say “Okay I will do just one.”
Then you may do that one but push yourself to keep going and do more.
You may not have felt like doing any initially, but then you keep going and you are more inclined to stick with it–you are therefore productive when you thought you couldn’t be.
Would this work for you?
You could look at this from both a personal or a professional point of view, and apply it accordingly.
This could work for everything from exercise to meeting a deadline to studying for a test, because it’s really that effective.
You can talk about this by using the phrase “get a head start” when you start diving into a project.
You can also use the word “conquer” when you accomplish something, such as conquering that first five minutes.
Productivity is something that affects all of us, and so you want to be sure to approach this in a way that will help you to get things done.
This method just might work and breaking it up makes it so much easier!
Takeaway
Starting with five minutes can be way less intimidating when thinking about a project.
Breaking it up into smaller sections like this can help to keep you motivated and productive.
Would this work for you?
Could this help you at work or in areas of your personal life where you need it?
Think of how to approach this and if you can make it work, and you just might find that you won’t procrastinate as much anymore.
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
