Debate: Does setting a timer actually help you focus or just stress you out?

I started using a 25 minute timer for work tasks last month, and it got me through a bunch of HVAC paperwork I'd been avoiding. But a buddy swears timers make him rush and mess up, so I'm torn has anyone else found a clear winner with this approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige87021h ago

...and see, that's the thing with timers, they're a mood thing for me. Like I can't do a timer for something that needs creative flow like sketching out a layout, but for those boring numbered lists and check boxes? Hell yeah, a timer makes it a game. Does it make me kinda sweaty and anxious in the last 5 minutes? Totally. But that's the whole point of the game. So it's kinda like your buddy's problem is more that he's using a timer for the wrong type of task, not that timers themselves are bad.

nancys9011h ago

Ngl, "makes it a game" is exactly it. Wrong task just makes you sweat for nothing.