Be realistic about what you can achieve

An hour probably won’t be long enough to blast through a chunky piece of writing or sort out an unwieldy spreadsheet (and if it is, please share your secrets), but it will give you the time to make a decent start. Make sure you’re clear about what you’re likely to get done in the time available – otherwise, you might get disillusioned. “You risk feeling even more overwhelmed if you bite off too much,” Fekaiki says. “If an hour feels like a stretch, you can break it down into smaller chunks of 20 minutes.”

Schedule it

In her original video, @classiclaur says she gets stuck into ‘scary hour’ at a different time each day, but if you’re prone to procrastination that might just mean that you put it off, then put it off some more, defeating the object entirely. “Choose a specific time slot for your scary hour and add it to your calendar or planner,” recommends careers expert Oliver Sidwell, co-founder of RateMyPlacement and RateMyApprenticeship. “Having a designated time will help you prioritise it and mentally prepare for the tasks ahead.”

Don’t get psyched out by ‘scary hour’ – here’s how to make this productivity hack work for you