Procrastination is the most recent evil that affects humanity, especially those people who have a cell phone, that is, apparently all of them. Applications and social networks have us spellbound. And above all, they make us feel guilty when we use our precious time to browse instead of dedicating it to important projects.
The 10-minute rule to stop procrastinating and the stance I’m taking in writing this article doesn’t make the assumption that procrastination is something terrible or harmful, just that it’s a badly managed habit. So, keep reading so you can see how much is behind this method, especially from a psychological point of view.
Why Do We Procrastinate?
In essence, procrastination is an almost impulsive stimulus that causes us to release dopamine (the happiness hormone) in a short period of time. So, we procrastinate because it makes us feel good and helps us forget our problems. Like if, for example, if you don’t like writing essays for subjects and postpone doing it till the last moment. But then you also don’t have enough time to finish it and you have to find an essay writer online to complete the task.
It can also be said that we procrastinate because we lose our sense of self-control. But perhaps it is more associated with a larger cause: we procrastinate because we want to avoid or delay a situation that stresses us. The question would be to identify when we decide to do it to determine the fears behind the responsibilities and daily commitments.
Effects Of Procrastination
However, after a habitual procrastination session, this remedy feels like cheating. Its short-term effect then transforms into anxiety. In my experience, I feel an emotional drain rather than a sense of urgency. But generally speaking, the effects of procrastination are a combination of anxiety, exhaustion, and panic.
Procrastination also affects our outside world, because as a result, we have less room to work to accomplish our tasks, it can lower the quality of our efforts and makes us dependent on improvisation within the work environment and commitments in interpersonal relationships.
Stop Procrastinating By Following The 10 Minute Rule
Stopping procrastinating by following the 10-minute rule is like taking part in an experiment where you are the object of study. It is also a personal process, so adapt these tips to your daily routine and the stimuli that affect your productivity, since the time we spend procrastinating and the times of the day are different for everyone.
What Is The 10 Minute Rule About?
The 10-minute rule to stop procrastinating is a mental task where we tell our brain that time is limited. The goal is to make us believe, or convince us, that the tasks we have to do at work or college assignments are not difficult.
The idea of starting is, therefore, what invites us to procrastinate. The 10-minute rule is nothing more than a challenge to our abilities. It’s simply about looking at the task in front of us and saying, “I’ll do it in 10 minutes.” Trust me it works.
If I say I’ll do something in 10 minutes, I set a timer, once it hits the time limit, but I’m not done yet, you’re more than allowed to continue. The thing is after the first 10 minutes are up, our overwhelmed brain says, “It’s not so bad after all.”
After the 10 minutes have passed, we are not obliged to continue either, but we have created a good incentive to do so or to return to it later without representing so much indecision.
How Does The 10 Minute Rule Work?
Arousing the feeling of urgency or urgency is what the 10-minute rule does. During this period of time, our brain knows that it has to focus. Establishing a time also conditions us to believe that what we don’t like or stresses us has an end. So, knowing that the task can be completed in that period is motivating. And even if we decide to only spend 10 minutes at a time and not continue immediately afterward, that feeling of guilt and anxiety disappears.
What the rule does is stimulate your productivity and help you create new habits. When it comes to adopting new habits, it’s easy to associate it with the idea that they are more commitments on our list. But setting a time limit changes that perspective. For example, if we decide to pick up and clean our home in ten minutes because we don’t want to be messy anymore, even if it doesn’t come out perfect at first, with practice, we’ll not only do it faster but consistently.