Last week, we talked about timeboxing and the steps on how to timebox. As you may recall, timeboxing is “a simple time management technique that involves allocating a fixed, maximum unit of time for an activity in advance, and then completing the activity within that time frame.” It was first introduced by James Martin, the author of the book Rapid Application Development, as a part of agile software development. This time management technique encourages you to put a strict time limit on activities that you think would take away too much of your time and can be used for both personal and work commitments.

Some benefits to using the timeboxing technique:

• Helps you work on unpleasant tasks and limits the time you spend working on them – sometimes we encounter tasks that we just can’t bring ourselves to get to. However, when you schedule a dedicated time frame to accomplish these tasks, you’ll be guaranteed to work on them.
• Helps you work on tasks that are too short (or too long) – there are tasks that you might want to put off for later since they’re too short – you end up forgetting to do them (e.g. sending acknowledgement emails). When you timebox them into 10 min chunks, you’re more likely to remember to do them. The same goes for tasks that are too long (e.g. writing a novel). Timeboxing writing chunks into 1 hour of writing per day guarantees that you will at least have written a few pages.
• Helps you stop being a perfectionist – timeboxing eliminates the danger of nitpicking on unnecessary details when you only have 30 mins to work on a task.
• Helps you be more motivated to finish tasks – a ticking timer can sometimes work as motivation for you to be able to focus on finishing your tasks.
• Helps create balance in your work-life – the new work from home set-up has a lot of us spending too much time on meetings to ensure that everyone is calibrated while we work across different locations and time zones. Timeboxing ensures that we don’t go over the allotted time we set for meetings and catch -ups, and we actually use project management tools instead. 

Pro-tips:

• Time is intangible, so make it visual by using a timer to make sure that tasks are restricted to each timebox. 
• According to studies, our minds can only focus on tasks for up to 90 mins. Make sure that your timebox is set for a maximum of 90 minutes.
• Make sure to take breaks in between back-to-back timeboxes – this lets your eyes rest. It acts as a refresh button for your mind, too, enabling you to focus on the next timebox. You’ll come back recharged after a short break.

What are your favorite time management techniques? Does timeboxing work for you? Share your experience with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp