The 10 Minute Rule
You had a long day at work. You didn’t get much sleep the night before. It’s been raining outside all day. You are tired. All you can think about is going home, laying down on the sofa, putting on a good movie or TV show and relaxing. All odds are against you, but in the back of your mind, you know that you should hit the gym before going home. How can you possibly get motivated enough to get a workout in before calling it a day and turning in early?
I wish that I could say that I am always so full of energy and motivation that I never have those kind of days. Unfortunately, I’m no Steve Pavlina and let’s face it, some times we just don’t feel like doing things. So when I am faced with this obstacle or a lack of motivation, I make a deal with myself that usually results in me making some unexpected progress and ultimately feeling really good about myself.
Enter a little gem that I like to call, The 10 Minute Rule.
The 10 Minute Rule is pretty simple and works like this. I tell myself that I will engage in the task at hand for at least 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes, I don’t feel like finishing, I can stop and walk away, guilt free. Because most of the time the hardest part of any task is getting started, this rule of thumb helps me push past the roadblocks that keep me from doing things that I may not always feel like doing, but am always glad I did once I’m done.
I used exercise in this example because it is one of the easiest to relate to. However, The 10 Minute Rule can be applied to just about anything you aren’t really up to doing at the time, but know you should. My bet is that after 10 minutes, more times than not, you’ll continue with the task until it is complete.
Give it a try. If it works for you, I’d like to hear about it. Come back and leave me a comment about your success.
