Lifehacks - Set a Timer to Thwart Procrastination

Set a timer to trick yourself out of perfectionist procrastination.

If I thought of how much work it would be to clean my whole kitchen, I would never even get started (perfectionists are the best procrastinators).

So I set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes and see how much I can get done (before I go back to playing sudoku or surfing the web). If I only get 5 minutes of cleaning done, fine. But sometimes, when the timer goes off, I'll want to finish up what I've started ("I'm so close to being done!"). And I end up cleaning 10 or 15 minutes. And my wife is astounded at how clean the kitchen is when she gets home from work (hurrah!).

Setting a timer is the best way I know of to trick yourself into defeating procrastination. Are you so overwhelmed with the thought of writing the whole sermon that you can't even make yourself start? Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how much you can get outlined. Chances are that once you start, you won't be able to stop.