Procrastination Hack: 10 Second Delay

July 29th, 2008          Email This Post        Print This Post

In the morning, do you not want to get up? Taking a refreshing hot shower but don’t want to turn off the water? Have some work to do, but don’t feel like starting?

Try this: decide to start in 10 seconds. Then count to 10.

This works because we don’t want to get up right now - we know we have to get up eventually, though. Deciding to get up later gets you past the resistance. But when “later” is only 10 seconds away, you savor your last few moments as you prepare to take action. As I count down, I feel a sense of finality: I decided to do it; I have my word to stick to!

This technique can get you started (or finished) much quicker with much less fuss. Even if you don’t fully understand it - I don’t - it doesn’t stop you from using it. I doubt you really understand how everything on the computer works, but you still got this article. You only need to know how to use the principle for it to work, not the why.

Are you putting something off? Decide to start it in 10 seconds. One, two…

Note: Once you commit, you have to keep your mind on it - by counting. I don’t recommend anything longer than 10 seconds. It’s waaay too easy to lose track of time or get sucked into other activities with longer countdowns.

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