I visited our area zoo this weekend, and was told when buying my tickets that the zoo would close in an hour and a half.  Needless to say, I was actually thankful for the condensed time frame to see the animals (and also screaming children, sticky fingers and interesting smells).  We didn’t get to see the entire zoo, but experienced some great highlights and left with a strong desire to come back for a visit soon.

When you are faced with a time crunch, do you jump in and make the most of it, or shy away for another time?  Some of my most productive moments happen during time crunches.  For example: you find out on the way home that some friends are coming over for dinner.  Other than getting the food ready, you probably make the mad dash around your house picking up toys, laundry and other clutter to make your house more presentable.  What you were able to accomplish in 5-10 minutes on this time crunch day, would most likely take you an hour or more on a normal “clean up” day.

Even the most organized and motivated person experiences procrastination from time to time.  To keep up the momentum of our positive actions, throw in a time crunch.  Create a deadline (real or fictitious) that is imminent.  If you are dreading putting together a regular report (that may not be due until the end of the month) set a timer for 30 minutes and crank it out.  Pushing yourself against a time deadline will put your brain and your body in motion to focus your energies on that specific task, and complete it.