Do you find yourself procrastinating and constantly saying you don’t have enough time? The Power Hour could be for you!
As Charles Buxton, MP and writer, said “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it”.
What is the Power Hour?
The Power Hour technique is all about focus, discipline and being free from distractions! It requires you to divide big tasks into smaller, more manageable ones that you can dedicate an hour of 100% effort to.
When a deadline is looming upon us, we work much more efficiently so one dedicated hour is much more useful to us than struggling through many hours of constant study. Our brains have a limited attention span – they just can’t handle all that concentration!
How to use the Power Hour
Think 15:45
- Use 15 minutes of the Power Hour to set up – outline your plan for the next 45 minutes so that you can stay on track and make sure you have everything you need on your desk. You can’t get distracted so you need everything to hand.
- Use the next 45 minutes as intense study time and try to stay focused on the task. Set a timer so that you don’t have to keep watching the clock.
- Only AFTER the timer has alerted you, take a 15 minute break to reset your mind and outline the next 45 minutes should you wish to start another cycle.
- Repeat steps 1-3
Helpful tips
- If anything pops into your head during the Power Hour, write it down! Don’t let it distract you from your studies, you will still have time to book that appointment later on. Writing things down will offload them from your mind and let you focus on the task at hand.
- If you want to keep working after the 45 minutes… don’t! The momentum may make you feel like you could keep working and working, but your productivity and focus will soon drop. Take that quick well deserved break and reset your energy. You can always continue in your next Power Hour cycle.
- Remove distractions from the room or remove yourself and work in a neutral environment – consider an app that blocks you from using specific apps during the power hour so you aren’t tempted.
- Resist the urge to leave your desk – put all your focus into the task and only leave your desk when you have your break.
