How to start off with anything, almost!
It’s basically how we deal with the start that subconsciously matters throughout the ride.
So, I have been thinking about getting things done in time a lot these days. That’s something, of course, everyone could be concerned about! Most of us, if not all, want to do things in a certain period of time and move on to other things, either highly prioritized or just some random, so that they don’t feel they are falling behind the schedule(s) and/or their periodic goals.
Well, I believe it’s of greater importance to manage time almost precisely, if not perfectly. That’s what matters when it comes to doing things in a mortal life: we all have limited and contingent time. So, to do them in a planned time is probably a better practice for a life to be well lived.
Coming back to my thinking of getting things done in time, I had been through a lot, well, hadn’t everyone? I tried out a bunch of methods to manage time efficiently like Pomodoro: trust me, it’s highly helpful if you don’t already know! But, the problem I always kept facing is how to deal with the first few seconds/minutes of a time slot: most of these techniques suggest making time slices of a particular duration and taking breaks in-between (that’s principal). So, this is what I’m gonna talk about in here: dealing with the start of the time slot.
You probably might have experienced some anxiety as soon as you start a test and count-down keeps ticking. Every second rolling down could rise the probable anxiety that we are losing time if we didn’t already get started on it! Sometimes, you can handle it when you’re good with the test and your mind doesn’t wander around. But, there are times when your mind does wander seeming uncontrollably. That’s when you got to hang on to it for a few seconds to get control back. Let me get into that mechanics right away.
So… I’m talking about how to get started off in the beginning of a task, whatever may it be: reading, writing, listening to podcasts or coding. You should be able to grab the front of your slot, and if you can hold on to it, it all works great!
Just before writing this article, I was just polishing my React knowledge on freeCodeCamp. And I found it a little hard to concentrate through the explanation of the exercises. I planned to do each exercise in 5 minutes so that I can keep count of time without playing around. Just when I finished an exercise, I navigated to the next, and found that I got to see a whole new exercise and started adjusting to what it has to offer and what I got to do.
I keep looking the time in my computer at the bottom, on the task bar, to keep track of my 5 minutes. So, when I start, my mind usually doesn’t start to work until it’s already a minute since it believes I have all that time. When it’s past one minute, well, that’s when it starts to work on the exercise. Then, I simply go through that.
The problem is that I had trained my brain for years that when I have time, it could rest in the beginning, and later on, it can start working. What I was concerned about is that the fact that I paid for that in the long run when it really hit me hard. I had times when I really need to get things done, and I wasted more than the 1:5 ratio I talked about now! Because that ratio is not a considerate loss, it was fine, but, when it scales up to being a habit that could probably cost you a fortune eventually, you got to do something about it! I know, right?
I sometimes handled this with focus and perseverance in place. But, that’s not always the room you could afford to be in! We’re talking about wandering minds here. Who knows what can be, really? That brings me to a generic idea of dealing this scenario. When I say generic, I mean to say that it is not specific to me or any community (like coders). I mean it as an idea anyone can adopt to use it in a way that helps.
First things first.. you should be aware of time runs in depending on your mindset. When you wait for the first minute to be over, it could feel like an awful lot of time, but, the last minute could be like half (or less) of it.
Keeping these in mind, you start with your slot!
Now, get to whatever tickles your interest: just anything from the text and/or diagram and/or whatever you have got! Make an understanding of what it stands for!! I mean it. You can see it for anything it could be. Visualize it, or remind yourself of something that’s related and make a quick representation of it! This makes the ride easier.
The thing is… understanding is one major characteristics of us that keeps us in the track and makes us feel better.
By the time it’s the ratio of 1:5 or whatever you prefer, you could probably be on the matter of the subject you have in front of you! This helps in dealing with the cases when you’re unable to focus. If you’re good with your focus, you’re better off with it of course!
I believe it could help you a bit so that you don’t lose your track off the course of your time slot.
Well, as soon as I got this idea, I immediately opened up Medium to write it and publish it so that I don’t lose this inspiration. I had moments like these in the past, and I didn’t write them up, and to date, I still regret that! I used to say myself that couldn’t find time, but, time is all we have! We just need to schedule, manage and live it.
Great to see you to the end! Thank you for reading and your patience.
