![\"10-minute](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/10-minute-rule.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHow to deal with stressful tasks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re faced with a task of any kind, the first thing you should do is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Analyze its proportions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Figure out how difficult it is by dissecting it, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Scrape together a relative timeframe it\u2019ll take you to finish it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Then, panic and gaslight yourself into thinking you\u2019ll never get it done in time, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, not exactly. It\u2019s actually better to go with tested methods of getting things done, such as the 1-3-5 rule<\/a> or any similar time management methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then comes the 10-minute rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the 10-minute rule?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In order to beat procrastination, this rule dictates that you should start working immediately, preferably on an easy task that can be finished in at least 10 minutes. If it\u2019s easier for you, set aside a timer and work for exactly 10 minutes<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the time is up, stop working and ask yourself: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can I keep working, or should I take a break?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If for any reason, you\u2019re not in the right state of mind to continue \u2014 you\u2019re overstressed, unproductive, or lacking creativity \u2014 you should stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In such scenarios, the best things you can do are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Take a walk,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Listen to music,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Have a snack, or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Do something entirely different that is not work\/task-related.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udca1 Clockify Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to get more information about procrastination, give this blog a read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Dealing with procrastination: Why it happens and how to fix it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Why is the 10-minute rule useful?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In layman\u2019s terms, the 10-minute rule makes you feel accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our brains are hardwired to avoid difficulties and settle for comfort<\/a>, but delaying the inevitable creates further pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, doing the bare minimum of any kind of work makes us feel proud and rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, studies show<\/a> that performing tasks with intermediate difficulty often leads to intrinsic motivation and a desire to keep studying and working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The motivation for further development leads to another successful 10-minute cycle, and the loop continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you manage to keep up the consistency, 10 minutes often transform into 20 minutes of continuous work, which further leads to full focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\ud83d\udca1 Clockify Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you often find yourself settling for instant gratification instead of delaying it for greater pleasure in the future? If so, give our blog post a read on the following topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Present bias: how to overcome it to pursue your future goals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Why did I decide to try the 10-minute rule?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aside from being lazy at times, the fact is that being a writer is not a rigid profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, my time to shine comes from sudden bursts of creativity that do not happen on command. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if I\u2019m feeling up to writing, sometimes, the words simply won\u2019t come out, which is a problem considering I have a 9-to-5 job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I often have to make myself write something, no matter how ridiculous it looks at first, and then work on it and polish it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, the 10-minute rule sounded like just the thing for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beating procrastination with the 10-minute rule: My story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In order to get the right information and test out this technique properly, I decided to try it out on 3 different projects over the course of three weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aforementioned projects involved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Updating a preexisting article,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Strategizing and creating content with the web developer team, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Writing the 10-minute rule blog post.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Well, I didn\u2019t really decide<\/em><\/strong> as much as I procrastinated writing this blog post<\/em><\/strong>, which actually turned out to be great since I was able to get different perspectives and compare them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s my account of how the 3-week span unfolded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Week #1: Update<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Writing this blog post has been in the works for about two months now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, a colleague of mine was to write it, but they were swamped with work at the time and just couldn\u2019t find the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, they delegated and handed it off to me, and I wasn\u2019t any better. I was working on an update of a preexisting blog post at the time, so I decided to put it off until I finished the task at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there was a way to simultaneously do both \u2014 I decided to read up on the 10-minute rule, see how it works, and test it out while working on the update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, work for 10 minutes, take a break and repeat. How hard can it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well<\/em>, life gets in the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time I tried it, I managed to do some work, but it was the bare minimum. I had dealt with some technical issues with the blog, which basically meant I corrected commas and m-dashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utilizing the 10-minute rule<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
After dealing with the technical issues, it was time to write. This time, I decided to do it by the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used Clockify<\/a> to set a 10-minute timer:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Clockify](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Clockify-timer-app.jpg\")
Clockify timer app<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Then, I turned off music to completely focus and gave it a shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, before I knew it, the 10 minutes were up and I had only<\/strong> three sentences<\/strong>. Naturally, I was not happy and I couldn\u2019t believe I had written so little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I accredited some of my failure to the timeframe pressure, but still. I did some mental math and concluded the following \u2014 the three sentences I had written had 47 words in total, which practically meant my writing speed was 4.7 words per minute. I decided to round it up to 5 so I could sleep better the following night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, I was quite annoyed with myself because I knew I could do better. I took a break, made myself a coffee, took a couple of sips, and tried it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same drill happened again, but this time, I had written 136 words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, I was subconsciously brainstorming a bit while I drank the coffee, but still \u2014 I\u2019ll take it. What further made me both happy and annoyed at the same time was that it worked \u2014 I was practically challenging myself to do better as if it were a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n Free time tracker<\/span>\nTime tracking software used by millions. Clockify is a time tracker and timesheet app that lets you track work hours across projects.<\/p>\n\n
\n Sign up<\/a>\n\n Learn more<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n \n ![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/clockify\/landing-3.png\")
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nWeek #2: Content creation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The following week, I worked on a joint project with a web developer and a colleague from my team. My assignment was to create and write content for the topic at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily, there was no word limit, and the topic itself didn\u2019t require a lot of content, but it was nuanced and I had to do a lot of research beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly, I felt as if I were a student again cramming for an exam. But this time, I decided to start on time with the help of the 10-minute rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utilizing the 10-minute rule<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Since the gist of the task at hand was to perform proper research, I decided to use the 10-minute rule principles to immerse myself in documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again<\/em>, I started the timer and off I went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first web page I visited was filled with technical terminology and jargon I had to translate for myself in order to understand it. With each passing sentence, I could feel the passage of time, but this time, it wasn\u2019t negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew what I was doing and why I was doing it. At one point, I heard the timer go off, but I ignored it as I was in the middle of taking notes. Once I got around to checking it, I realized 17 minutes had passed, but I was already deep in thought, so I decided to push through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I decided to take my first break, I realized that I had worked for 37 minutes, non-stop, according to my android Clockify app<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went out to get some breakfast and when I came back, I returned to my research without even realizing I had left the timer on. Seeing my timer ticking, I once again did some mental math, subtracted the time it took me to get breakfast, and concluded I had worked for 1 hour and 24 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\ud83d\udca1 Clockify Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was surely a time when you forgot to pause the Clockify timer when you stepped away from your computer. Luckily, Mac\u2019s desktop app<\/a> can detect if your screen locks or goes to sleep. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n![\"Mac](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Mac-time-tracking-app.png\")
Track time with Clockify’s Mac desktop app<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Week #3: The 10-minute rule blog post<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Finally, we\u2019re in the meta space, typing as we speak, and reading as we talk. I know it doesn\u2019t make much sense, but hear me out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was writing this article, I couldn\u2019t help but live-test this rule. Even though I didn\u2019t really need to do it, testing the 10-minute rule while writing about the 10-minute rule seemed like a must.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utilizing the 10-minute rule<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
By this time, I had gotten used to tracking my time each day of the week and challenging myself, but I now knew what I was going to write about before I had even started writing \u2014 my own experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would start the timer at the beginning of my shift \u2014 9 a.m. \u2014 but there was no need to pause it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of the first day, I had already written the entire body of the text, so the following days consisted of polishing, retouching, and finalizing some of the thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naturally, I had some interruptions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Annoying neighbors,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A doctor\u2019s appointment, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- An urgent task that had to be finished as quickly as possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udca1 Clockify Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Still, that doesn\u2019t mean you should settle and let everyday problems run you down. More on this topic in the following blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- How to stay focused on work in a world full of distractions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
However, what had changed was my focus \u2014 I was able to put the blog post to rest, tend to other things, and come back to writing it as if I had never left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All in all, a procrastinator like me managed to find hope, and so can you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pros of the 10-minute rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aside from beating procrastination in general, the 10-minute rule is perfect for everyone who multitasks<\/a> on a daily level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often feel swamped when we have to deal with multiple things simultaneously, which is why the 10-minute rule is a great way to compartmentalize and focus on one thing at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, as you can see from my example, doing something for as little as 10 minutes puts you in motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, you jumpstart your work engine and creativity by setting limitations for yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, if you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ve probably been preconditioned to cram for exams at the last minute, too, so you\u2019ll see the 10-minute rule instantly work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cons of the 10-minute rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Depending on your profession, your tasks and projects could differ \u2014 some even spanning over the course of weeks and months. The 10-minute rule will help you put things into perspective during a workday, but it won\u2019t really work for large projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\ud83d\udca1 Clockify Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a large project ahead of you and you feel overstressed, the following blog might offer some insight:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Common time management problems (+ how to solve them)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
My overall rating of the 10-minute rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As a time management writer, I had both the fortune and misfortune of trying out many time management techniques<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 10-minute rule really hit the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, this might be the best one I\u2019ve tried so far. I believe many writers and people who do creative work daily can benefit from this technique, which is why I\u2019m recommending it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final rating<\/strong>: \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use Clockify by CAKE.com to track productivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To spend your time as productively as possible, it\u2019s important to structure your workday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the best ways to organize your workday is to track the time you spend on your assignments, and Clockify time tracker is just the tool to help you do that and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clockify by CAKE.com<\/a> helps you track your tasks and gain a precise overview of your time at work. In other words, it helps you understand how you allocate your time to different tasks and activities \u2014 so you can better plan your day. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also see all your tracked time and analyze it in Clockify\u2019s Dashboard<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Dashboard\"](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Dashboard.png\")
Clockify’s Dashboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n This way, you\u2019ll be able to see how much time you spend on work tasks, meetings, inbox management, and similar tasks and identify time-wasters. \u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re struggling with procrastination, you can use Clockify\u2019s Pomodoro timer<\/a> to work in intervals separated by breaks. This will help you stay focused on the task at hand and finish it more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Clockify](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clockify-Pomodoro-timer-1.png\")
Clockify\u2019s Pomodoro timer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
- Common time management problems (+ how to solve them)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
- How to stay focused on work in a world full of distractions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
- Present bias: how to overcome it to pursue your future goals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
- Dealing with procrastination: Why it happens and how to fix it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/clockify\/landing-3@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n