There’s no shortage of clever productivity tricks floating around TikTok, but every now and then a hack comes along that actually sticks. Enter “scary hour,” a simple yet genius system created by TikTok user @tiredbutcozy to help you finally tackle the annoying, stressful tasks you’ve been pretending don’t exist. Think: paying that parking ticket you…
The Premise
Dedicate one hour a day to handling up to three scary tasks, and then you’re done. No bonus tasks, no adding things at the last minute, and no spiraling into a four-hour stress marathon. To reiterate: one hour, a maximum of three tasks, and nothing more.
Why It Works
This approach works because it sets boundaries around the tasks you’d otherwise avoid indefinitely. Instead of letting dread snowball until a chore feels monumental, scary hour contains the discomfort inside a predictable, time-boxed window. And if you don’t finish? You simply carry the leftovers into the next day’s scary hour — no guilt and no pressure to power through. If a task is large (hello, insurance phone calls), you can split it across several days without feeling like you failed.
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A Surprising Bonus
The tasks rarely take the full hour. You might spend five minutes disputing a charge or 10 minutes making that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off for six months. This structure helps you realize that scary tasks are rarely as big as they feel; they’re just emotionally daunting. Once you face them, they shrink.
How To Get Started
To try it yourself, start by listing every nagging task you’ve been avoiding. Pick up to three for tomorrow’s scary hour, set a timer, and get to work. Keep the vibe low-pressure. Play music, make a cup of coffee, or light a candle — whatever makes the hour feel tolerable, even cozy. When the timer goes off, you’re officially done for the day, regardless of how much you finished.
It’s simple, manageable, and honestly kind of freeing. With scary hour in your back pocket, that pile of dreaded to-dos suddenly feels a lot less … scary.
