Tag Archives: Timeboxing

Oct11

What Is Timeboxing And Why Do You Need It? Part 2

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What Is Timeboxing And Why Do You Need It? Part 2

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

Oct4

What Is Timeboxing And Why Do You Need It? Part 1

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What Is Timeboxing And Why Do You Need It? Part 1

The first time I came across this term was a while back, during a meeting with a former CEO for Oracle APAC. There were a lot of ex-CIOs and CEOs invited who all needed to be somewhere else urgently after a meeting that had to fit in a 30minute time frame because that was the only possible time to get all of them together.

I wasn’t familiar with agile software development but I was able to quickly grasp the concept of timeboxing. Timeboxing is a concept first introduced by James Martin, the author of the book Rapid Application Development, as a part of agile software development. It 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[1].” This time management technique can be used for both personal and work tasks.

Timeboxing encourages you to put a strict time limit on activities that you think would take away too much of your time. You can understand the need to put strict limits to a meeting with CIOs and CEOs present. At the end of a timebox, you close off the task no matter what and assess if you were able to complete your goals.

What are the steps to timeboxing:

  1. Find suitable tasks – timeboxing is most suitable for tasks that you don’t want to spend too much time on. As stated by Parkinson’s Law, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” So if you block off 3 weeks of your time to finish a task, even if you can finish it faster, you’ll aim to subconsciously expand your work to fit 3 weeks. By limiting your time, you’re guaranteed to work on high-value projects and tasks right from the start.
  2. Define your goals – break down your objectives and assign timeframes. If you know you have 30mins to get all the points of a meeting across to all stakeholders, what would you do? You assign timeframes for each point in the agenda, right? The same goes for bigger projects. Because you already have a set time limit, you can assess your goals and assign targets for them. Need to write a 1,000-word research article in 3 days? Aim to write 500 words per day and alot 1 day for revisions and editing.
  3. Set the time – assign time frames for your tasks and have a way to track them.
  4. Work and assess your results – work your way through your set timeboxes and once your time is up, stop working on them. Assess if you were able to meet your goals, either completely or partially.
  5. Claim your reward – there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel, right? You will be hard pressed to become motivated to do a task you don’t want to do if there was no reward waiting for you at the end. So always remember to treat yourself. It can be something as simple as time off, a cup of designer coffee, or a Netflix binge.

Does timeboxing work for you? What are your favorite time management tips? Share them 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

[1] https://clockify.me/timeboxing