All of us go through times and situations when we don’t really feel like doing a certain task or worse, piles of tasks but deep down we know we need to attend to those chores. Procrastinating does feel nice at first when you know you can lazy around and not do anything. However, it takes a toll on your body and mind when you are loaded with work and have nowhere to go. While procrastination is not often easy to beat and there are tasks that are actually really difficult, you can fix both these issues easily courtesy of the 5-minute hack.
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What is the 5-Minute Hack?
The 5-minute hack goes by many names such as the 2-minute hack and the 10-minute hack. The strategy is quite simple and tricks you into doing your work by becoming more involved in it. Usually, when we have to attend to a cumbersome a task or even an easy one, we don’t feel like doing it because we feel it will take too much of our time. You know you have to do laundry but you don’t want to spend an hour doing that or you don’t want to do something boring at all.
We give ourselves different excuses when we don’t want to do a task and all those excuses usually boil down to one thing- our urge to procrastinate. The 5-minute hack makes it easier for you to break the urge by encouraging you to do a task for just 5 minutes or 2 minutes if you feel doing something for even 5 minutes may be too much for you. Since 5 minutes pass away pretty fast, you know you won’t be burdened much if you work on a task for just 5 minutes. So when you use this strategy, you tell yourself to work on a chore for only 5 minutes and no more and get started with it.
Since it is only for 5 minutes, you are likely not to think much about how to do that task and are likely to get started with it right away. This keeps you from slipping into analysis paralysis and saves you lots of time. I have already talked about analysis paralysis and its perils in a previous post so if you have read that or have a thorough understanding of analysis paralysis, you know how peaceful your life can become if you can escape that.
Returning to the 5-minute hack, when you know you will work on a chore for 5 minutes, you are likely to begin it instantly without overthinking it much or at all. When you start a task, do it with keen interest for 5 full minutes. Pay attention to small steps of the task so you do it mindfully and become more involved in the process. When the 5 minutes are over, just encourage yourself to go for another round of 5 minutes. You could lure yourself into doing so by pegging the task with a reward. Say ‘If I do this task or work on it for another 5 minutes, I will enjoy this or do this (fun activity) when I am done.’ Rewards usually work well in making you work on tasks so do try this positive reinforcement.
Go for about 3 to 4 rounds of 5 minutes each on the same task and by the time you have worked on it for 15 minutes, you are quite likely to continue with it. When you do a task mindfully and for about 10 or more minutes, you become involved in it. Since you now know you can do it and have no major reason to be afraid of it, you are likely to carry on with it till the time you complete it.Once you feel you have done about 30 to 40% of the task, take a break and go through your performance. You are likely to be quite amazed and impressed with yourself.
My experience with the 5-Minute Hack
I once had to connect my bank account with my Payoneer account. It was quite a simple task really but since I am extremely bad with technology and never handled my accounts myself (requested my husband to do that task for me every time), I feared doing it. I procrastinated on that simple task for days till I had no choice but to do it since I needed money transferred from my Payoneer to bank account. My husband wanted me to become self-sufficient and overcome my silly fear so he insisted I do it all by myself this time. I knew I had no choice but to do it so I resorted to the 5-minute hack to complete this task.
I told myself I would work on this task for only 5 minutes and if things did not make any sense to me in 5 minutes, I’d give up on it and beg my husband to do it. I began with researching on the procedure and by the time I had done it for 3 minutes (yes I timed myself), I had become more involved in the process. Within half an hour, I had understood the process and even linked my Payoneer to my bank account. Trust me, I felt extremely proud of myself as if I had won an Oscar haha. It was quite an achievement for me since I never did such jobs on my own.
Since that time, I have used the 5 minute hack time and again to fix my problems and overcome my urge to procrastinate. If you feel you need to get done with the task but are procrastinating or you just want to increase your productivity, try this hack. I’m sure it will help you.
If you are stuck in analysis paralysis, read this post to understand it better and to overcome it.
Why You Need to Fight Analysis Paralysis to Get Stuff Done for Real and Live a Good Life