Welcome back, Badgers! As the new semester begins, you're probably looking to up your productivity and avoid the procrastination that always seems to creep in.
Anjali Gopal, a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley, shares her experience attempting to do just that using the five minute timer method, which she describes as “one of the most useful lifehacks.” The five minute timer allows you to work intensively for five minutes and finish up some of the most annoying or stale tasks on your to-do list.
- It helps you get through your to-do list: pretend you only have five minutes to complete a task and get it done with a sprint of high-energy work.
- It lowers activation energy of certain tasks: five minutes are helpful in getting started on tasks that you are trying to avoid because they seem daunting or boring.
- It soothes perfectionism: the five minute timer helps you limit the amount of time you dedicate to a specific task like writing an email.
- It gives you time to slow down and think: when you are in a rush, the five minute timer can help you pause and focus on your priorities.
