We all have those days—the ones where we hit snooze one-too-many times, scrolled through social media way too long in the morning, or life comes up and our perfectly planned schedule goes out the window. Sometimes, we just need a quick jumpstart to get our day back on track!

Personally, I know I shouldn’t get on social media first thing in the morning. I know I should go to bed on time so I can get up on time (and feel rested). I know that there are steps I can take to set myself up for success during my work day. But sometimes, I don’t do what I know to be best—I ignore the principle of delayed gratification.

I can’t be the only one who does this.

So how do you combat this? Obviously, there are ways to avoid this problem altogether. But today, we’re going to talk about how to jumpstart your day when you already feel behind.

My favorite way to jumpstart your day? Set a timer. 

Set it for 15 minutes, and do whatever you need to do so that your brain can focus on your work. For me, it’s often cleaning up the kitchen or straightening my desk. Maybe for you, it’s going for a walk, journaling, straightening, or doing a load of laundry. Then, once the timer goes off—look at you! You’ve already accomplished something! 

Use that momentum to cross the next thing off your to-do list.

Sometimes, getting your mind out of an unhelpful rhythm (like scrolling through Instagram) by doing something that doesn’t require a lot of thought (like washing dishes) helps you reset so that you can be productive! 

Have you tried this 15-minute method? What are some ways you get back on track? Let me know!

(P.S. if you’re putting off work because you have so. many. emails to conquer, check out this post and my free Email Template Guide to make your emails more streamlined!)