This is why my ten-minute timer was so powerful. Even if I felt thirsty or hungry, or if I felt an urge to check email, those urges weren’t strong enough to take me off task. There was a stronger force fighting back: my own need to see myself positively. I couldn’t fail at trying to write for ten minutes – it would be too damaging to my self-perception. Even my ego couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse. By “lying” to myself by committing to ten minutes, I was able to gain enough momentum to make resistance melt away and to keep writing for much longer.
