Strive for Five: The Five-Minute Start

 Five minutes may seem like a fleeting amount of time, equivalent to just three hundred seconds, the duration of a song, the time it takes to boil an egg, or a brief commercial break on television. However, allocating a mere five minutes towards completing a task you have been avoiding can be an excellent strategy. After completing those five minutes, it is advisable to reassess the situation and determine whether to proceed with another five minutes or move on to a different task. By dividing your work into increments of five minutes and assessing your progress after each one, you establish a momentum that propels you forward. As a result, you become less fixated on the five-minute chunks and are more focused on completing the task at hand.

 Home Run: Set Goals and Rewards

 Throughout the workday, it is advisable to establish achievable objectives and corresponding incentives. Upon successfully meeting targets, rewards such as brief intervals of leisure or entertainment, such as comedic YouTube videos or engaging phone games may be allocated. It is imperative that these objectives are practical, and the rewards commensurate with the level of accomplishment. It is also advisable to set aside a designated time to evaluate advancement and make necessary adjustments to goals.

Be Good to Yourself: You Today Versus You Tomorrow

In the event that one is overwhelmed with a workload, it is not uncommon to feel disappointed with oneself for not starting the work earlier. It may be beneficial to extend this thought process and consider a hypothetical conversation between the “present self” and the “future self.”

If the “future self” (referred to as Saturday Tom) could advise the “present self” (referred to as Friday Tom) on the issue of procrastination, what would be said? It is important to avoid leaving all of the work for the “future self” as this may lead to dissatisfaction and confusion. Maintaining a sense of accountability and taking appropriate action in a timely manner is key in ensuring a successful outcome for all parties involved.