I used to think that 30 minutes was a huge commitment. That I couldn’t spare 30 minutes in my day.
I used to think that 60 minutes was not enough time to really create something, to make any real progress.

Now, I know 30 minutes is easy to slot in my daily routine. I know I can dedicate 30 minutes every day to reading, and realise I’ve spent hours reading and learning at the end of the month. Hours I didn’t think I had!

Now, I know I can write most of a blog post draft in 60 minutes. An outline, three or four pages of prose on a topic, with stories and analogies. I used to think I needed half a day of focus to do that.

Now I know that all I need to do is pick up a pen and write for an hour. Let myself get bored and eventually, ideas will flow.

All it takes is a simple timer.

I’ve been using a timer for my creative projects: writing, drafting, braindumps and mind mapping, editing… but also daily journaling. I’ve also started using it at work for a few things like learning sessions, or when I need to get into deep focus mode.

It has transformed the way I view my time, reduced my stress levels, and helped me do more. I’d like to share my experience with you.

How It Helps Me

Here’s a list of the benefits I get from using my timer:

• It gets me started: When I feel blocked, demotivated or distracted, the timer helps me move to action. After 5 or 10 minutes I am usually fully engaged in what I am doing.
• When I go off track, it helps me find my way back: I often get lost in mental chatter: my mind just goes down rabbit holes, and I lose track of time, sometimes for several minutes. When I look up and see the timer, it puts me back on the right track. A bit like when you get lost on a hike, and suddenly find the path again.
• It holds me accountable: If I set the timer to 60 minutes, I commit to it. For that hour, my only focus is that task - or staring at the wall. Although doing nothing becomes boring after a few minutes, and eventually I start having ideas (see my previous blog post, Be Bored, Create More).
• I am more focused. I go deeper: Setting a timer brings my brain clarity about what to focus on and for how long. It helps me reach flow state faster, and if I add up all my timer sessions, at the end of the year I now spend more actual minutes in deep concentration.

The Main Benefit: It Quiets My Phone Addiction

The major win I get from using a timer is how it helps me fight my phone addiction.

I make a pact with myself: I won’t look at my phone for the next 30 or 60 minutes.

It should make me stressed out, but not at all.

Why does this work? Because I know exactly when I’ll next check this little attention sucking demon. When the timer rings, I can take a break. And if I want to know how much time is left, I can look at the big numbers, counting down.

It’s not a constraint, it’s a rendez-vous. A reward.

This works best if (1) you don’t use your phone as the timer and (2) you put your phone on airplane mode.

The Upside Down: It’s About Allowing, Not Restricting

When I tell my friends and colleagues that using a timer helps me do more and be less stressed, they look a bit miffed. It sounds quite restrictive to them, and they ask me questions like:

• “Isn’t it stressful or frustrating? This feels like a race, like being evaluated.”
• “Isn’t this forcing yourself? That doesn’t sound fun.”
• “What if you break the rules? Don’t you feel bad or guilty?”

I don’t see this exercise as forbidding myself. Instead I see it as allowing myself. To write. Edit. Journal.

For a limited time, I am guilt free.

I don’t feel guilty that I’m not cleaning the kitchen, or not checking messages on my phone. Because I decided to allow myself to write for 60 minutes.

Once the timer rings, I’m free. I can stop, check my phone, and do something else without feeling guilty about not creating. I just spent sixty minutes allowing myself to write!

I have no obligation of results. All I have to do is spend the time doing the one thing I set myself to do, and do my best.

I invest time. And every time I do, it adds up. Knowing how much time I’ve invested in doing something, at the end of the year, it’s meaningful.

What I Use It For, And How It Helps

In practice, I use a timer for different kinds of tasks, and the benefits tend to vary:

• Journaling: I tend to get distracted and check my phone several times, when journaling. The timer helps me get it done in less time. My journaling also benefits from it as I don’t context switch every few minutes - it helps me think a thought through for more than a few seconds.
• Reading: I try to read 30 minutes every day. The timer helps me realise it’s not a huge investment, and I feel good when I see all the days I’ve spent reading add up in the calendar.
• Writing: The timer helps me get through the blank page. I press start and then I just write. It helps me realise that discipline beats inspiration, every single time. “Creativity is not a talent, it is a way of operating”¹ (see my previous blog post, Embrace The Blank Page).
• Editing: I usually procrastinate editing, because it is all about making decisions. Sometimes these decisions are tough, like what to leave out, what to delete. The timer helps me be pragmatic. I spent an hour trying out some of those decisions knowing that when the time is up, I can revert all my changes. It helps me approach my editing in an iterative way, and it helps me realise that making decisions isn’t that scary.
• Admin tasks at home: Come on, Tom. Emptying the dishwasher literally takes five minutes.
• Brainstorming, mindmapping at work: Because these tasks are creative and open-ended, I end up either procrastinating them, or stretching them over a long period of time. Using a timer helps me timeboxing it, and once I’m done, I have something that I can use, and my head is much clearer.
• Learning hour: I realised recently that as an adult, I stopped learning just for the sake of learning. I always put it off, thinking I need much more time than it actually requires. Recently I’ve been trialing dedicating one hour to learning every week. It only works because I use a timer. It helps me stay guilt free by timeboxing it. And at the end of the month, it means I’ve actually spent half a day learning new stuff.

Tips

If you want to try using a timer, here are a few tips that I would give to past me, if I could go back in time!

• Keep notecards or scrap paper nearby: Your mind will fight hard to distract you. Write down the stuff that pops up in your head if you need to. It may be something you need to buy at the grocery shop, or it may be a cool idea for a new project! If you write it down, your brain will stop trying to remind you about it, and you can clarify and organise that later.
• Don’t use your phone as your timer: If you can, use a separate physical timer. Otherwise you’ll be tempted to check your messages, social media and so on. If you don’t have a choice, put your phone on airplane mode. It will reduce the risk of distractions.

Conclusion

Remember this: if you feel stuck or overwhelmed, you are not alone, and simple tools can make a big difference.

Using a timer has been a game-changer for me. It helped me reduce stress and guilt, stay focused, and at the end of the day, get more creative work done. And it helped me see that my perception of time changes, depending what I am doing and how I feel.

Now, it might look very different for you. Explore, experiment, take the good stuff, and leave the rest. The experience I share in this post is what worked for me. If you can relate, or even better, if you discover a new way using a timer is helping you, let me know!

If you’re a stuck creative, try a timer. Start small, repeat, see how it feels.

Go make some stuff!