Two Simple Ways To Use A Timer To Keep Yourself On Track

Sometimes, I like to use a timer when I work. There’s something about a completely objective external parameter that works very well for me. But I use it in a couple different ways: one to get me to work and one to stop me from working.

To Get Working

So I think this is the more obvious of the two uses. If you have a task that you really do not want to do and you’ve been procrastinating on, especially, if it’s going to take a long time, you can set a timer for a certain amount of time to work on said task and then allow yourself to stop when it goes off.

When I was trying to get my taxes done earlier this year, I used this method. I did not particularly relish doing my taxes, so every day (or fairly close to it) I would set a timer for 30 minutes and work on my taxes for that amount of time and no more.

It felt more manageable that way, but I was also moving forward with them. I think this works best if the amount of time set is relatively short. You’re basically saying to yourself, “just sit down and do this little bit and then I’ll be done for the day.” This method gets me moving on tasks that I simply don’t want to do.

To Stop Working

The other way I use a timer is when I need to stop working on something. Generally, this is an activity where my perfectionism is kicking up really strong and I need to make sure I’m not working too much on it.

Once again, I’ll set a timer for what I feel is an appropriate amount of time for me to be working on something, and then I have to work to get everything done in that amount of time, committing to stopping when the timer goes off.

This could be just part of the activity or the whole activity, but it keeps me moving forward in an appropriate fashion when I want to tinker away forever on this thing.

I use this method, for instance, when I’m writing book blurbs for fellow indie authors ( I do some freelance self publishing services). I set a timer for the first draft and then the second draft and I don’t work past the timer. I find this really focuses me and keeps me from tinkering with it FOREVER which I would have a tendency to do. It reins in my perfectionism quite nicely.