My new best writing tool is not a new computer. It’s not a fancy word processing program. It’s not a printer, instruction book or office space. It’s a simple digital timer.

A few weeks ago I was facing a difficult writing chore. We all know that starting is the hard part, and I was dragging my feet. I wanted to use the old mental trick of saying, “just work for ten minutes.” But how to keep track? I don’t dare use the clock on my computer screen. Too easy to get distracted by the news feed, or click on that game icon. I could have used my phone, but for me, even that much tech was more a distraction than a help. My regular kitchen timer is not digital, and has that annoying “tick, tick, tick” as it’s counting down. Then I remembered a digital timer I had bought for another purpose. Turns out it was the perfect tool. Easy to set, re-set, start and stop. Silent. Big, easy to read numbers. Plus, I could put it out of my line of sight so I wouldn’t keep checking to see how much longer I had to go.

You won’t be surprised by what happened. By the time I heard the first “ding” I was well into the project. The initial reluctance had vanished, replaced by renewed interest and enthusiasm. So I set the timer for the next ten minutes. And then the next ten minutes and the next ten. When I finally slowed down, I had worked over an hour and made a sizable dent in the project. While I won’t need this trick every time, I’m glad to have it when I need it. And hey, it also works when it’s time to clean the garage!