I want you to try something.
I want you to try completing a relatively low-stakes task for a client
That you know how to do
But that you don’t want to do
And ask yourself:
How long will it take?
Then …
Set a timer for 25 minutes
And no matter how “in the zone” you might feel
Or how close you are to finishing
When the timer goes off
Walk away
For 5 minutes
And come back if you need to
For another 25.
Then ask yourself:
Did you finish the task faster than you normally would
Even though you took a break and/or broke your momentum
Did you make less mistakes?
Was the work better or worse?
And finally …
Did you have more energy
At the end?
I’m here,
Kevin
P.S. I call this the Ikea Test because I started doing it with building Ikea furniture and found that I finished in half the time with much less time having to go back and fix mistakes and a lot more energy at the end. Just sayin’.
P.P.S. Please reply with any results or questions. I would sincerely love to know how it went.