5 Minutes Chunks

In the last article I wrote about overcoming procrastination by attending to all those activities which take 5 minutes or less. This is an effective way to getting ourselves off the procrastination treadmill and moving into the action arena. However, what about those projects which require more than 5 minutes of time.

We heard how breaking larger tasks into manageable sizes is the key. This is correct. Nevertheless, most failed to tell us what a manageable size is. Again, we look to the 5 minute rule. Our goal is to develop a list of items which are accomplished in less than 5 minutes. We know this is a size that is easily handled.

Let us start with a major activity like cleaning out the garage. This is something that can take hours to complete. Using our concept, we begin to break the job into smaller tasks. The first is to clean all the trash that is lying around and put it in a can to take to the curb. This might take more than 5 minutes but it is a good starting point. The next idea is to hang up all to tools that are scattered about. Again, we look to complete this in 5 minutes or less. Third might be to select an old box or two that we go through, discarding what is not needed. We continue this process until we completely cleaned out the garage.

The idea behind this philosophy is to get started. Procrastinators are terrible starters. Physics teaches that it takes more energy to start an object in motion than it does one that is already moving. Breaking projects into manageable tasks is an effective way to get ourselves going.
Share and Enjoy!