Workers have long known it’s essential to prioritise their tasks at work so as not to get overwhelmed. But this is not always easy to do.

Many wonder which factors to take into account: the urgency (or otherwise) of an assignment, or its importance? Then there’s the degree of drudgery involved.

As such, many tend to put off until tomorrow the tasks they find most difficult and unpleasant – even if this ultimately increases stress levels as deadlines approach!

This is where the “scary hour” helps. This organisational trick encourages you to set aside a block of time for tasks you don’t like, and focus solely on executing them until time runs out.

This supposedly stops you from indulging in procrastination – an affliction affecting 15-20% of adults. In fact, the “scary hour” enables its followers to regain control of their time, and thrive on assignments they enjoy.

This work method was made popular by a user on TikTok who explains that she devotes an hour a day to tasks she usually balks at owing to her anxiety.

“‘Scary hour’ is the only reason anyone in my life thinks that I’m a functioning adult,” she explains in the video, which has been viewed over 1.1 million times.

It has since inspired others: the hashtag #scaryhour now counts 6.5 million views on the social network.

The principle is reminiscent of the pomodoro technique, which involves assigning time slots to the most thankless and tedious tasks, such as sifting through emails.

Many employees feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails they receive and have to answer. Some devote 8.8 hours a day to this activity, according to figures from Microsoft.

Indeed, workers spend an average of 57% of their time using office software dedicated to communication (email, instant messaging, videoconferencing, etc.), but these tools nevertheless contribute to humans’ natural tendency to procrastinate and can have a negative impact on efficiency.

Hence the importance of splitting up the working day to regain control over your to-do list, according to advocates of the “scary hour” or pomodoro methods.

The rise of such tricks shows just how sensitive a subject time management has become in a world with ever-increasing productivity demands. In fact, one in every two workers says they feel burnt out at work, according to a Microsoft survey.