In my last two video blogs on productivity tools for leaders, I’ve focused on specific ideas to overcome procrastination. So today, I’d like to give you one more idea on this topic. If you’ve been putting off tasks on your to-do list because they feel so large that they are overwhelming, or because it’s something you just really don’t want to do, then overcome procrastination by scheduling them into 25-minute blocks.
Tackle unappealing tasks by scheduling them into 25-minute blocks
Research shows that 25-30 minutes feels manageable and attainable to most people. Half a day, or even an hour may feel intolerable, but we can do anything for 30 minutes. So schedule difficult or unappealing tasks into 25 minute increments with a five minute break in between.
If you’ve been putting off a project because you know it’s going to take you several weeks to complete, schedule 25 minutes in your calendar in the next week to get it started. Sure, you still will have lots more work to get done after the 25 minutes are up, but at least you’ve begun to build momentum. And you can schedule another 25 minute for the next day or the day after.
Of perhaps you’ve been putting off dealing with the growing basket of filing sitting on the corner of your desk. Schedule 25 minutes to just file. As much as you may dislike filing, you can handle 25 minutes, and then, even if you don’t get it completed, you’ll have made a dent in it, and you can get at again for 25 minutes on another day.
It is a challenge to overcome procrastination for most leaders … we’re all guilty of it! But try this approach and you’ll find that you’ll find that it isn’t as insurmountable a challenge as you might have thought.
This is my third on specific video blogs addressing the productivity minefield called procrastination. Here are the previous two:
- To overcome procrastination, “go public”
- Overcoming procrastination can be as easy as simply getting started
Or you can access the whole series here.