Get Motivated to Study: Overcome the Resistance With 5-Minute Sprints
This is part of my How to Stop Procrastinating series.
Hey, friends!
Momentum is the antidote to procrastination. It’s that feeling, “Hey, I’m actually making progress here. Let’s keep going.”
With momentum, we can accomplish anything.
But what blocks momentum? Not getting started. What keeps us from getting started? The Resistance.
The Resistance whispers that studying is the ultimate form of pain. Worse than a root canal (without anesthesia), worse than childbirth (without an epidural). The Resistance begs us to do something else, anything else, to avoid studying. (Let’s alphabetize the spice drawer and scrub the toilet!)
Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art sums this up:
Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work.
Overcoming procrastination is a matter of overcoming the Resistance. If we can just get started, if we can just build momentum, progress will come.
My favorite way to overcome the Resistance is with 5-minute sprints.
Here’s how it works: Eliminate all distractions, set a timer for 5 minutes, and get to work.
(I often spend this time making a to-do list and then breaking bullet items into their own lists. Figuring out what needs to be done builds my momentum.)
Afterward, take a short break. (I might grab a hot drink, do a sudoku puzzle, or take a walk in my basement. But I avoid time sinks that suck me in for hours. (I’m looking at you, YouTube, and Candy Crush!))
Now, will we accomplish a lot during the sprint? No. But that’s not the point.
Getting started is the hardest part. A 5-minute sprint is the best way to overcome the Resistance and get that first burst of momentum. It’s like that saying from Aristotle, “Well begun is half done.”
You can do 5 minutes, right?
(Seriously, stop reading and just do a 5-minute sprint.)
How about a second one?
Each sprint is easier to start than the one before. Each builds that feeling of momentum. And with momentum, we can accomplish anything.
Take action: Overcome the Resistance with a 5-minute sprint.
Have an essay due next week? Spend 5 minutes making an outline or writing down research questions. Break your assignment into chunks, and break those into smaller pieces. Then, focus on one piece for a 5-minute sprint, and your momentum will grow.
Have an upcoming exam? Spend 5 minutes making a list of topics that will be covered. Next, break topics into smaller pieces. Then, focus on one piece for a 5-minute sprint, and your momentum will grow.
With momentum, you can accomplish anything.
One last thought: You might think, “I’ll try a 5-minute sprint…in an hour…” Just know that’s the Resistance talking. If you can’t find the intestinal fortitude to do a 5-minute sprint right now, you won’t do one in an hour. The Resistance will be just as strong later on.
You might as well get started right now.
Read more on How to Stop Procrastinating.
Thanks to Brynn Stewart for reading a draft of this!