Here’s another technique that works pretty well to keep me on task: Sometimes I use a timer that beeps every five minutes. And when the timer beeps, I mark on a graph, whether I was on task or off task at the time of the beep. That’s a great one for cutting down on my daydreaming. It gives me a rule that specifies a more immediate deadline. Stay on task, because that timer is going to beep pretty soon, and you don’t want to ruin your graph. So instead of having a daily deadline, or an hourly deadline, I’ve got a sort of five-minute deadline, except I’m never too sure how soon it’s going to be.
I'll Stop Procrastinating When I Get Around to It
by Dick Malott
Chapter 3: How to Get Yourself to Write
So here's my question.
Where does one buy an every-five-minute timer?
Behaviorists toss off this advice like the rest of us just know that:
a) every-five-minute timers exist
and
b) where we go to get one
Well, I don't know.
When I first heard tell of folks setting 5-minute timers to find out whether they were on task, I didn't want to know whether or not I was on task every 5-minutes.
But now I do want to know, but I don't have a timer and I don't know where to get one.
Thank you in advance.
[pause]
The word interval has just popped into my head.
interval as in interval timer
There must be such an animal.
[pause]
Is this it?
They seem to have quite a few of these things for boxers. Apparently boxing is easier than writing. They only have 2 to 3 minute intervals.
Or maybe that means boxing is harder.
7 comments:
Is this what they're talking about?
http://www.amazon.com/Perform-Better-Seiko-Interval-Timer/dp/B00065WZTS
we have a simple digital kitchen timer. you set the time you want 5 10 15 minutes, hit start and it counts down and beeps at 0. then reset and go again.
nothing fancy.
Yep, digital kitchen timer, very small, under $10.
My mother has one of those timers even though she is in her 80's. It's going off all of the time. If it were mine, I would stomp on it.
Remember, hard work pays off sometime in the future; procrastination pays off right now. Stop and smell the roses.
I find that a lot of my programming work gets done in fairly short times of intense concentration. The hard part is getting started. The way I try to deal with this is to leave off at "easy spots". I don't like to leave off at the end of a big task. It's too hard to get started on something new. If I leave off at an easy spot, then my brain doesn't have to work hard the next time I pick up the work. Once I get going, I find it easier to deal with more difficult problems.
The Timex Expedition wristwatch has a timer with a "flip the hourglass" repeat mode. Mine is set to 6 minutes and enabled when I barbecue.
It's also useful if I find myself posting at blogs instead of crafting educational reform.
Oops.
These types of timers are also used for yoga practice. They tell you when you should change poses. Now & Zen makes an expensive but pleasant sounding chime. (got one for the wife)
-prices
we have a simple digital kitchen timer. you set the time you want 5 10 15 minutes, hit start and it counts down and beeps at 0. then reset and go again.
See, this is a VERY BAD IDEA for me.
Having to stop and re-set a timer every 5 minutes....
You probably get the picture.
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