Fuse

Countdown timers do wonderful things for your focus. If you tell someone, “We have to leave in five minutes,” they meander. Tell the same person “We have to leave in 300 seconds,” and watch them suddenly leap into action. 300 seconds sounds like an actual countdown timer instead of a vague synonym for “soon.” When we see the fuse burning down, we know the time for procrastination has passed.

Sometimes it’s very, very helpful to be able to set a fuse for yourself. Something that, once set, is no longer under your control. Give your roommate 20 dollars and say, “If I don’t do the dishes by 5 PM, that twenty bucks is yours. If I do them by 5 PM, give it back.” Assuming you have a decent roommate, this can be a good incentive for you to stop putting off the task.

(Pro tip: For this trick to work, the amount of money has to be large enough that you care about it, but not so large that your roommate can be guilt-tripped into giving it back to you because it would inflict a catastrophic loss on you.)

Whatever you’re trying to do, if you’ve been putting it off – try lighting a fuse.