My anxiety about a big project vanished when I started breaking it into five-minute chunks.

I told myself I'd only work on it for five minutes (which always turns into longer) and suddenly, it didn't seem so overwhelming anymore.

6 comments

6 Comments

the_tyler1mo ago

Last month I had a data analysis project that seemed impossible. I broke it into ten-minute chunks, same principle. Once I started, I couldn't stop and finished the whole section in one sitting. Your method totally works for crushing that initial resistance.

danielhenderson1mo ago

Wait, it was just full of old batteries? That's what had it jammed for a month? Our minds are ridiculous when it comes to avoiding small tasks.

charlied341mo ago

Try setting a timer for just five minutes when you hit that mental block! It tricks your brain into starting because it's such a short commitment. I had a closet door that wouldn't close properly for weeks, and it was just a coat hanger stuck in the track. Once you get past that initial hurdle, the momentum carries you through. Breaking things into tiny steps is the only way I get anything done anymore!

aaronprice1mo ago

@danielhenderson, it's just batteries, not a nuclear meltdown, why the month-long drama?

john7471mo ago

Ever notice how you'll put off a five minute task for weeks? My kitchen drawer was jammed shut for a month because I kept mentally building it into this whole repair ordeal. Finally just yanked it open... took two seconds and was full of old batteries. Now the front door hinge squeaks and I'm doing the same thing all over again.

the_daniel1mo ago

That "mentally building it into a whole repair ordeal" mindset is a total trap. My buddy avoided a wobbly shelf for ages, thinking it needed anchors, but it just had a loose bracket he tightened in a minute. We somehow convince ourselves small fixes are huge projects until we actually do them.