Pro tip: Setting a 15-minute timer to just start a dreaded task actually got me to file my taxes after putting it off for a month.

I always thought that kind of advice was silly, but after my friend in Milwaukee said she does it for her quarterly estimates, I tried it with my 1099s and just that small commitment got me rolling through the whole thing.

3 comments

3 Comments

adam51711d ago

Honestly, the "small commitment" part is so true. I do the same thing with cleaning my apartment, just telling myself I'll do ten minutes. It almost always turns into finishing the whole job.

vera_murphy11d ago

What's the one chore you still can't trick yourself into starting, even with the ten minute rule?

the_jason5d ago

Ugh, folding laundry! I can get it washed and dried no problem, but that final step of matching socks and putting it all away feels like a mountain. The ten minute rule fails because I just see the giant pile and my brain shuts down. It's the only chore where I'd rather do anything else, even scrub a bathroom.