There’s something I’ve been doing now every day for a couple of years now – and I call it my “Power Hour”. It stopped my afternoon procrastination habit in its tracks and I haven’t looked back!
Now, I haven’t invented the term and I’ve heard plenty of others using it – but I want to let you know what I do in my power hour, why I do it and the results.
Essentially, it’s the time of day where I get the stuff done that I generally don’t like doing.
For me – it’s the laundry and cleaning the kitchen – I’m not a fan of either and I was the Queen of Procrastination with both. For you – it might be personal, work, family or something-else related but for me it’s this.
But the key to this cure for procrastination isn’t just what I’m doing, it’s when and why.
I’ve had so many questions about procrastination from my readers so here’s how I made big changes, in just an hour a day.
How to Overcome Procrastination with a Daily Power Hour
Firstly, I choose a time to do these tasks when I’m not busy or focused on other things – for me, it’s 3-4pm.
I work from home and this is the time I’m wrapping up work and before the kids come home from school. Sometimes it’s the hour after they get home and I rope them in to help me. It’s a bit flexible depending on how my day is tracking.
Most importantly, it’s the time of day when I feel like a ZOMBIE. I’m shattered, not particularly focused, not feeling creative or enthusiastic and did I mention shattered?
But that is the PERFECT time for me to take on the mundane tasks of my weekly cleaning schedule and laundry!
And when I call it Power Hour – I don’t mean I drift through the house doing chores, I mean I POWER through it. I literally zip from room to room gathering laundry, putting loads on, hanging it out, folding, putting away – actually, I don’t think you need me to tell you how to do laundry! But you get the idea.
Then I’m in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher, reloading, washing up, cleaning and prepping for dinner. Depending on time, I might also make tomorrow’s lunches for the kids.
As well as getting stuff done – it actually pulls me out of that 3pm slump so I’m a little more pumped for the kids getting home and the evening ahead.
Result: laundry done quickly and at a time where I wasn’t productively doing anything else.
In fact, that used to be the time I would mindlessly scroll through the gram.
I also listen to podcasts and audiobooks at the same time, if I’m by myself.
Starting a Positive Procrastination Habit
Now, I know the concept of getting stuff done like this isn’t anything revolutionary or original – but I wanted to share it with you so you could have a think about when your power hour might be – and what you might get done in it. No more procrastination!
Maybe the hour you get home after work or an hour before the kids wake up? Or the hour after they go to bed before you settle down for the evening?
What jobs do you not enjoy or always put off? What time of the day or week could you pick to blast through them?
Or do you already have your power hour sussed out? Let me know when you do it and what you get done?
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- 100 Habit Tracker Ideas + FREE Habit Tracker Printable!
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What has helped you with your time management procrastination habit? Have you tried a daily power hour?
Originally published on May 25th 2020.
Hi there. I read somewhere, some magazine, that anything you dread doing and procrastinating … if you aim to do 10 minutes of that activity you end up feeling okay to do more ! I’ve tried for a few household chores and it does work !
So I’m going to use a few 10, 15, 30 and 1 Hour time- sheet for different Activities … and maybe a can set a Stopwatch.
In theory it sounds quite motivating ! Might be something I can put in my LIFESTYLE BULLET JOURNAL … or just keep the sheets in a Ringbinder. 🤔
Anyway, I’ve found your website very helpful.
Oh I love that yes – 10 minutes – it’s a small commitment and enough to get you into momentum! Glad this helped :)