SUZANNE QUIGLEY - FREELANCE COPYWRITER | ANIMAL HEALTH
  • Home
  • Services
  • Samples
  • Why work with me?
  • Contact
  • Blog

Try This to Beat Procrastination

8/23/2018

 
I’m going a little off topic from catalog copywriting with this post, but it’s a relevant one nonetheless.

Do you ever waste time? You know, procrastinate? At work, at home, wherever.

Bit of a rhetorical question…

But seriously, time-wasting and procrastination, when you think about it, must eat up thousands of valuable hours of useful productivity.

After a quick Google search, I learned that we waste approximately 122 minutes of a work day procrastinating. (Where do those two hours go?)
​
When I worked in the corporate world, I experienced the various and sundry ways that one could wile away the hours, even before the onslaught of the internet and social media.
And when I left to become a freelance copywriter, I envisioned busy days where tasks and projects were knocked off my to do list with assembly line-like efficiency.

Little did I know.

Mr. Procrastinate lurks everywhere, and you can’t escape him. His persistence is second to none and his desire will not be denied!

I fight with him every day. Arriving at my desk with the best of intentions, only to fall victim to him sooner rather than later.

But I’ve recently discovered a simple method that, for me, has actually helped.
​
And I rely on a humble device that requires no charging, no electricity, no batteries.
Picture of Kitchen Timer
Yup, that little bugger has pushed my productivity level through the roof!

And with the help of my little kitchen timer, I’ve begun following a procrastination-reducing procedure described in a book by Ryan Munsey.

The way it works is this:  Set your timer for 25 minutes and start working. When the 25 minutes is up, and the alarm goes off, stop working. Then, set the timer again for 5 minutes and take a break from whatever you were working on. (Oops, have to stop writing – the timer went off! Be back in five…)

Ideally, you should physically remove yourself from your desk, your computer, your cell phone, etc. Get up and walk around or do some stretching – I just washed the dishes that were in the kitchen sink!
​
When the 5 minutes is up, go back to your desk, re-set the timer for 25 minutes, and get back to work.
Do four sets of 25 minutes working/5-minute break, and then take a 30-minute break. After the 30-minute break, repeat the four sets again.

Pretty simple, right?

I’ve found walking away from the desk to be tough, that it makes me anxious (but in a good way), to get back to work. I mean, I actually look forward to getting back at it.

And the ticking of the timer keeps my motivation up. I know, some people may find it irritating, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s my gentle, little reminder that I have another mini-deadline approaching shortly.

So, if Mr. Procrastinate has you by the scruff of the neck, why not give this easy-to-follow method a try?
​
And be sure to let me know how it works for you…
Peter Wright
8/23/2018 05:25:03 pm

I’m retired, so I can procrastinate all I want! But I do think that’s a great idea.

Suzanne Quigley link
8/24/2018 07:44:03 am

Lucky you!

TERENCE JAMES VERMA
2/28/2019 08:33:12 pm

Hey Suzanne, sorry if I'm just a mite confused here...

I imagined procrastination meant putting of anything. Your post kinda seems to suggest how to manage time?

Heck, I'm the Procrastinator of the century. LOL!

Suzanne Quigley
2/28/2019 08:49:08 pm

Hi Terence,

I guess you could look at it that way. I see this as a way to avoid putting things off when you sit down to work. I've tried this and found that it did help me be productive and stay on task rather than while away time watching cat videos. With the timer ticking, it was like I was setting mini deadlines for myself that I had to meet.

Thanks for checking in!

Suzanne


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Suzanne Quigley - Copywriter

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    April 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    May 2022
    February 2022
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All
    Animal Health
    Animal Health Marketing
    Blogging
    Case Studies
    Catalog Copywriting Tips
    Content Marketing
    Copywriting Tips
    Edu Marketing
    Edu-marketing
    Email Marketing
    Freelance Catalog Copywriter
    Freelancer
    Hiring A Freelancer
    Horseback Riding
    Pet Care
    Product Descriptions
    Search Engine Optimization
    SEO
    Special Reports
    Testimonials
    Veterinarian
    Veterinary Practice
    White Papers
    Working Efficiently

Suzanne Quigley, Freelance Copywriter | Animal Health
3 Carroll Avenue
North Grafton, MA  01536 USA
508-277-4929
[email protected]
​
© 2025. All rights reserved.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Services
  • Samples
  • Why work with me?
  • Contact
  • Blog