If you’re anything like me, procrastination looms large in your everyday life. From tasks as small as sending an email, to those annoyingly important jobs that come with being an adult like booking a doctor’s appointment – there’s never a shortage of life admin on my schedule.
Unfortunately, in my experience, it can be all too easy to avoid these responsibilities, nudging them down on my to-do list until, inevitably, they morph into one, big, overwhelming mess of unfinished business. But what if you could tackle them all in just 60 minutes?
'Scary hour' as it's been affectionately dubbed, is a productivity hack taking over TikTok in recent months, with creators crediting the hack for lessening their anxiety and keeping their lives functioning. The premise is simple: at your chosen time of day, simply set a timer for 60 minutes, and use it to charge through your to-do list.
“Scary hour is the only reason anyone in my life thinks that I am a functioning adult,” creator Laur told her followers in a video that’s garnered over 300,000 likes.
@classiclaur Gorgeous gorgeous girls do Scary Hour #scaryhour
♬ original sound - Laur
But the difference between a normal productivity hour, Laur clarifies, is that scary hour involves only doing “things you’ve been avoiding because of anxiety.” Scary hour doesn’t discriminate: a quick scroll on TikTok shows creators using the time to do everything from respond to DMs to taking out their rubbish.
How does scary hour work?
I'm no stranger to building up a small task to major significance in my mind. It's only after I send that email or reply to that phone call that I realise it wasn't the all-consuming, life-altering commitment my brain had convinced me it was. And, as these things usually go, I tend to feel pretty good when placing the tick on my to-do list. So it's these thought patterns that scary hour forces you to confront.
The timed aspect of scary hour – in 60 minutes, you can go back to doom scrolling TikTok or couch rotitng to your favourite TV series – is also helpful. Not only does it force you to act on the task at hand now (rather than procrastinate until the end of time), but it's also reassuring to know that the uncomfortable feelings that might be associated with actually doing the thing have an end time.
How to start your own scary hour
Despite what the name suggests, your first few 'scary hours' might not actually last the full 60 minutes. You might prefer to dip your toes into the trend, challenging yourself first to 15 minutes of productivity, followed by 30, until you feel comfortable committing to an hour.
While exactly what you choose to do with the time will vary from person to person, there are two basic rules to keep in mind. First, set your timer, and second, set aside anything that might tempt you to lose sight of the task at hand. It really is that simple.
