A Timer Can Help You Get It Done

Timers are small things with big impact.  They come in lots of shapes and sizes or as part of something else.  They can be mechanical or digital.  They can be an app on your phone or an hourglass filled with sand.

You might look at a timer and think it’s useful for playing games like chess or reminding you to take something out of the oven, but not realize that a timer can make even the most daunting task seem more manageable.

My favorite way to use a timer to help get things done is by utilizing the Pomodoro Technique.  This technique prescribes that a person set a timer to work for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute timed break, and repeat 4 times.  After the fourth time, a 15-30 minute break is taken.

Your mind might struggle to get started on a task or project that feels big, hard, or where all the steps are unknown.  Setting a timer helps by putting an end to the work.  Our brains relax a bit when there is an end-point. 

A timer is often the best way for someone who struggles with distractibility to see a task through to the end.  If you know it’s easy for you to get off track when the urge to check email or switch to another task comes up, you can remind yourself that you can check email as soon as the timer goes off.

Racing a timer can be fun.  People who like a challenge will enjoy racing to see how much can be done before the timer goes off.  This can be especially useful for evening tidy-ups for the whole family.  Everyone can be assigned an area and race to see who can get the most put away before the timer goes off.

Timers are also a great way to interrupt someone who finds themselves becoming hyper-focused to the exclusion of all the other things that need to get done (this is a particular challenge for those with ADHD).  If you’re the type of person who gets wrapped up in something and runs late because of it, you could set a timer to go off a few minutes before you need to be ready for the next thing.  Then, you’ll be interrupted at the appropriate time.

If you struggle to get things done, I encourage you to see if a timer will help.  You can get started right away using the timer on your phone or stove.  If you want to purchase a dedicated timer, consider something like the Time Timer.  If you want to set timers on your phone you can use the built in feature, or find one from this list of good timer apps. 

Comment below and let me know your favorite way to use a timer or how you plan to try using one.