This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
The article is worthwhile for those who want to achieve several big goals every year, rather than one or two lifetimes. If this suits your interests, let's get started.
Myth: My work takes a lot of time
It seems that you need to allocate at least 2-3 hours when you are working on big goals - for example, writing a book or opening a business. I made the same mistake when I wrote my thesis. It seemed to me that it took an hour just to get into the work.
However, everything turned out to be wrong. As soon as I decided to spend 15 minutes a day on the thesis, the work took off. Over time, I enjoyed it and began to devote even more time to the dissertation. Therefore, do not believe that 15 minutes of work does not matter.
Step 1. Set a priority goal
If you do not find 15 minutes to achieve the goal, then most likely it is not that important. Perhaps finding a better purpose is more important.
Having established a priority goal, you can start working on it. If you work for 15 minutes every day, you will begin to gain mastery and enjoy the results.
Take, for example, the study of the English language. You learn the language for 15 minutes and over time you see the results: you better understand the lyrics of songs and excerpts from movies. It clearly works! You will realize that if you continue like this, you will already be able to read books in English. Enthusiasm is growing and is already spending more time learning the language.
Working for 15 minutes is like watering a water mill. At first, the mill spins reluctantly, but later it gains momentum and cannot be stopped.
Step 2: Choose a time to work on the goal
You can choose any time to work, but I would bet on the morning. Working in the morning has an advantage: you don't want to reduce productivity for the rest of the day.
For example, 15 minutes of English in the morning will give you a sense of how much you can do in a day. Then you won't want to lower your standards - stick to your smartphone, eat junk food for nothing to do, and so on. It also makes you want to work in the morning, because that way you spend the rest of the day more efficiently.
In general, there is only one joke - it is easy to find for your favorite activity. But if there is not enough time, try to get up 20-30 minutes earlier. It can be hard to do, but if you get up, you will thank yourself. If possible, turn the water mill in the morning.
Step 3. Use the pomodoro technique
Pomodoro is a technique that helps not to be distracted from work. With it, you work in 25-minute intervals and take 5-minute breaks. The trick is this: you agree with yourself that you will not be distracted during the work interval. At the same time, there is no possibility to pause working hours. Turn away - the interval is broken. It works because of our desire to keep the word in front of us and finish what we started.
You can increase or decrease the working intervals: set not 25 minutes, but 15, for example. The same goes for break time.
You can schedule small rewards for breaks - for example, sit on Instagram. However, it is better to give the brain a rest in order to continue working with new forces.
Maybe you get excited and want to work more than you planned. At such moments, it is better to stop, otherwise it will be more difficult to persuade yourself to work next time. For example, if you studied English for longer than the designated 15 minutes, then next time you will not be sure that you will finish on time. A promise to work for just 15 minutes will no longer seem so reliable.
If extra time is needed, make it part of the daily schedule so you don't violate your expectations.
Step 4: Add accountability
Agree with a friend that you will let them know about your progress. For example, as soon as it stopped working, send him a message - "done". You can add more details about the work done if you want. So you will have consequences if you don't do the work: a friend will see that you missed class, and don't turn your back on yourself either. This will help you to continue working and not procrastinate.
Allow yourself to miss one day of classes. For example, if you set a goal of studying English for two weeks, budget for one day of skipping. That doesn't mean you have to skip a day, no. It's just okay if it happens. This approach helps not to lose motivation after the "first miss".
Step 5: Analyze the work done at the end of each week
Analysis helps you see what you could have done faster and better. This speeds up learning, which means you will enjoy the results even more.
Questions for analysis:
- Did I work towards my goal every day?
- What unexpected happened during the week?
- Do you need to get up a few minutes earlier?
- How can I change my schedule to be more efficient?
- Is there anything I can stop doing and get more time to work on the goal?
- Is it worth working 10-15 minutes more?
- How can I be more efficient when I use the pomodoro technique?
Conclusion
Achieving success is not as difficult as it seems. For this you need:
- Set a priority goal.
- Choose a time to work with a goal.
- Use the Pomodoro technique.
- Add responsibility for work.
- Analyze the work done at the end of each week.
You will reach your goal if you make these steps part of your life and continue to develop new habits. One such habit is to do exercises against procrastination.
The future self appears rested, motivated, and free from today's obstacles. Delay immediately reduces tension, even though the task remains.
From intention to one concrete action
Five steps for starting
- Name one action, not the whole project.
- Reduce it to a few minutes.
- Attach it to a time, place, or existing habit.
- Remove one obvious environmental barrier.
- Decide how to return after a missed attempt without punishment.
Motivation often follows action
Small contact with the task reduces uncertainty. With substantial exhaustion, however, rest or revising the demand may be more appropriate than extra pressure.
Words from Dmytro Telushko
“Tomorrow makes it easy to promise an ideal self. Today, agree on a small action a real person can take under real conditions.”
Dmytro Telushko
MriyaRun tools
CBT SHIFT examines predictions, while the Emotions Journal EQ tracks the state preceding delay.
Emotions Journal EQ