The Top 10 Things I Have Learned From Flylady #10: A Timer Will Keep Me On Track

Posted on January 7, 2008 by LJ

I am a procrastinator, for a number of reasons. And I am also easily sidetracked. Oh, yes, let’s also throw in that I would rather do fun stuff much more than I would “work”.

Flylady’s insistence on using a timer has done wonders for me.

If there is something I really don’t want to do, but I know needs to be done, I set the timer, and I get through it. An amazing discovery is how long 15 minutes really is when I am working. I have managed to detail clean my entire dining room in 15 minutes.

The timer also keeps me from getting so engrossed in non-essential things that I lose hours. For instance, I could read all day. Or surf the Internet. Or do puzzles. Or craft. Setting the timer allows me to have some fun, but then bring me back to the present so I can decide what I want to do next. Since I have started using the timer, I have not felt guilty about wasting large amounts of time doing things that do not further my goals.

The third use of the timer is that when I don’t want to get started with work or writing, I tell myself that I only have to do it for 15 minutes, and then I can take a break. I usually find that after 15 minutes I want to keep going, and I will be very productive.

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