Sometimes, I just don’t want to do anything I need to do. Or even want to do. Or even things that are important to me. Maybe it’s because I’m feeling overwhelmed with what I need to do. No matter the reason, crossing that starting line can be tough sometimes.
So, I’ve come up with a hack that works almost every time when this happens. I set my timer for one hour, and I do that thing for one hour. And then I’m done with that thing for that day.
Let’s take my work with my clients, for example. I know about how long each client project will take, so I start at the due date and count back a day for each hour that project will take plus one day (I like to stay ahead of due dates because…life happens!), and then I schedule an hour a day each day in my calendar. If a project is due on a Friday and it will take 4 hours, I schedule an hour each day Monday-Friday. All of a sudden, that project feels so much more doable and manageable and way less stressful! Because I can do anything for an hour, right?! And often, that project takes less time than I think it will because I’m dedicating a solid hour of focus each time.
Why an hour? While I’ve also done 30 minute or 15 minute blocks at times, an hour is enough time to make some solid progress without the quality of what I’m doing starting to decrease due to spending too long on that thing. Experts agree. In fact, they recommend working for 52 minutes at a time with a 17 minute break, but that’s tricky and not so cut-and-dried to plan for me. So I go for an hour with a 15 minute break before diving into the next scheduled hour.
Sometimes, when I have a huge project, I’ll schedule two 1-hour blocks into a day with a break to do something else in between.
I love this 1 hour productivity hack! I do an hour, and then I’m done with that thing for that day. It’s a great feeling to cross that 1 hour off my calendar, knowing that I’ve made progress for that day. And it makes big projects feel way more manageable, it keeps me ahead of due dates, and it alleviates a lot of stress and overwhelm. And once an hour is done, I’ve got some momentum going, and it’s easier to dive into the remaining hour blocks for the day.
How could you use this 1 hour time block idea? Let me know how it goes!
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