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This is the 5 minute rule of procrastination as I use it. I’m sure it has been written about many times before but this is my super simple version.

When your brain is exploding with millions of things to do and you are in a hurry, one way to go is to do nothing and feel paralysed (often happens to me). Another way is to try the 5 minute rule.

It can be applied it 2 slightly different ways. First; get just 5 minutes of that horrible task that youve been putting off, done, Second, See how many things you can get done in 5 minutes.

The first way allows you to make a tiny start on something that is hard and you have been putting off. You never know, you might find it isn’t so bad once you get started and go on to do more. If not, you will have made a start.

The second way can get a room tidy, the bed made and a bin emptied, a tricky email sent, a call you have to make, or your make-up done and your bag packed for the day. Go as fast as you can with this. You can get a room straight or a desk tidy with a couple of bursts of 5 minutes.

Because all you are facing is 5 minutes it’s so much easier to make a start.

I would love to know your procrastination solvers, so share them in the comments if you would like. Susi xx

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July 30, 2014
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procrastination

How Not to do Your Taxes

I’m procrastinating again. This happens when there’s too much to do or think about and at least one of the things is scary (taxes) or needs concentration, like a website or a blog.  Usually when I do this I just put off what it is that has to be done, but today I can hear the argument between the different voices in my head. Sound familiar?
“I know I’ve got to do my taxes but I really don’t want to
I haven’t rung Mary back! And I’ve got to be ready for work in the morning, and there’s all that cooking to do for tomorrow night and when will I bake the pies?!!
I could watch TV. Surely it won’t matter for an hour, and a nice cheerful film will help; and I can always work tonight
Is it really so urgent?
Surely it makes more sense to finish off a website? That’s been wanting to be done for the last month? They must think I’m mad or hopeless not to get back to them yet! And I really should get that website done, though I’m not sure what to put on it.
The house is a mess; I’ll concentrate better if I clean it.
Anyway the bed’s not made, what if someone came in?
The tax bill will be big; I don’t want to think about it, I’d rather eat some chocolate. My hair need doing, I look like a skunk
Why don’t I pack ready for the morning, that’s productive isn’t it?”
And then the other voice, that I can sometimes find, is the voice of a sensible friend or two, one of whom lives in Malta. Whenever I’ve spoken to them in the past in this state this is the lovely calm advice I get.
“Just get on with doing them, make a cup of tea and just sit down and do it. You’ll feel so much better for it and then your mind will concentrate better on things like the website.
Yes the websites important but the taxes are far more so, they’ve got to be done now.
Just think about that huge sigh of relief when you close the folder and it’s all finished.
Don’t worry about the house today. You’ve got to clean properly tomorrow for the party so leave it ‘til then. No point doing it twice.
It takes you 30 minutes maximum to prepare for work. You can do that tonight.
You’ve got all afternoon tomorrow to bake pies and they don’t take long at all.
Forget about your hair and ask a friend to do it for you next week. You’ll enjoy it a lot more when your work is done and it will feel like a treat. And you will be able to relax a bit because this wont be hanging over you!
Go on, get on with it. Call me in an hour when it’s well on its way. Just think by tonight it could be done!!”
Its time to do the taxes.
By tonight it will be done,  and I will really enjoy that great big sigh of relief.