How ‘Scary Hour’ Can Change Your Life

If you’re expecting this to be a review of the latest horror movie, you’re gonna be disappointed.

However, if you’re forever anxious about the dreaded To-Do list, you might be interested in the productivity phenomena that has blown up on TikTok. Scary Hour won’t get you hiding behind your popcorn. It’s your new secret weapon against procrastination.

Problem is, it sounds…well, scary.

You must schedule a specific time in your diary to face those painful tasks you’ve been avoiding.  Yep, the scary stuff. From talking tax to dealing with an ex, anything you’d rather run a marathon naked than face. Write it down. Add it to your calendar. Give Scary Hour equal importance to a meeting, a hair appointment, a consultation. Use that hour to prioritise the things you keep telling yourself you need to do…but never actually do. In short, just do the damn thing.

Easy, right?

But it ain’t called Sunshine Hour or La La Hour or something that makes you want to indulge in fabulous pink fluff. We would run into this “scheduled appointment” like a kid spotting an ice cream parlour. It takes guts to face Scary Hour. You need the right energy to dive in. Determination. Focus. Zero distractions. Come on…it’s only for ONE hour.

Besides, Scary Hour is much scarier if you don’t schedule it. There are plenty of itty-bitty annoying admin tasks I need to get done today. I keep telling myself that I’ll do them in a minute. No, after I send this email. Hmm, perhaps a little scroll on Insta first. The longer I leave it, the harder it gets to make a start. I open the cupboard and eat a packet of Wotsits. I stare out of my kitchen window and think, ‘I’ll fill out that form for my kid’s school trip when I’ve finished this snack…’ But when I return to my desk, I get distracted by work emails or - a-hem - browsing theatre tickets - cough, cough - or buying a new pair of sparkly flip-flops. Before I know it, I have to leave my desk to get to - YEP, you guessed it - a scheduled appointment in my diary.

Because! Putting it on your calendar makes it legit. There are no cancellations. You have to do it.

Maybe, oh just maybe, if I’d officially planned to complete Scary Hour by writing it down, I’d be on top of my life admin. Maybe I’d no longer be panic-avoiding that client’s awkward email because I’d damn well rolled up my sleeves and bravely replied. Maybe I’d have booked that much-needed dentist checkup. Maybe my oven would be clean. I would have DONE the scary things. In one, single hour.

You don’t need a Scary Hour every day, although its a good idea to start with a weekly slot. A personal game-changer for me has been to schedule half an hour every Friday morning to do my online food shop, going through the cupboards and fridge, working out what we need as a family. Before this became part of my routine, I would forget and do a late night panic order. I’d overspend in the local shop multiple times a week. Now, I write FOOD ORDER in my diary and get a tingle of satisfaction when I tick off the task as completed.

There will always be jobs at the bottom of the list no matter how much we try to ignore them. Tax returns need filing. Expenses forms completed. You might need to give a bunch of stuff back to your ex. And that drawer you cannot open - or shut - will need to be sorted, one day. The productivity hack trending on TikTok involves doing the thing you least fancy during first hour of your day, leaving the rest of your day to only get better. If you work shifts or have to get little ones to school, Scary Hour can be whatever time suits your lifestyle. The important thing is to schedule it.

So, what are you waiting for? Open your diary and book in your Scary Hour.

Keep it simple…

1.  Pick a task you’ve been avoiding like the plague.

2.  Set a timer for 60 minutes.

3.  Dive in. No distractions. No running away. Do NOT doom-scroll or WhatsApp your bestie.

4.  Once the hour’s up, PENS DOWN. You’re done.

It can be hard to believe right now, but Scary Hour won’t immerse you in a doomed hole. Nobody is chasing you through the woods or calling to ask what your favourite scary movie is. Instead, it…

-   Breaks the loop of fear. You have finally stopped avoiding. You’re doing.

-   Builds momentum. One step leads to the next step.

-   Creates clear boundaries. You must stop when the time is up.

-   Relieves pressure. You don’t finish the task? So what? Starting has reduced the mental load.

-   Keeps it quick. You can survive anything for an hour.

-   Trains your brain. Your mindset is being rewired to face, not flee!

If you need the extra push to give it a whirl, why not…

1.  Make a Scary List. Tick off the tasks as you complete them.

2.  Recruit a buddy. Schedule your Scary Hours together and keep each other motivated.

3.  Reward yourself afterwards. Eat the cake. Paint your nails. You’ve earned it.