If you’re looking for ways to increase your productivity, chances are you’ve come across the concept of timeboxing. Timeboxing is a simple concept in which you set up a specific amount of time for a specific task. In any case, timeboxing is one of the most simple but effective time management techniques. Here is a list of the best ways to master timeboxing for increased productivity.
Contents
How To Master Timeboxing For Increased Productivity
Calendar block is essential
For a timebox, a calendar block is required. This enables you to truly “box” time. It also makes the amount of time you have each day more evident.
Use Google Calendar or another calendar tool that you can access from several devices to keep track of your appointments. Then add a vacation block and a break block. This assigns the task a pre-determined time limit that must be met.
After that, add at least one block for the task that requires a lot of concentration. This section should take at least an hour, if not more, to complete. Its goal is to enable you to complete jobs that need a lot of concentration.
Add some blocks for less focused jobs once you’ve mastered it. These are the duties you must complete, but they are not the most critical duties for you to advance in your career or business.
Add your to-dos to your calendar blocks
Add your to-dos to your calendar blocks as the following step. This offers you a good idea of what needs to be accomplished that day. It’s also a terrific approach to save such information in advance. So, if you come up with a task that needs to be completed on a specific day, you may already add it to this block for that day.
Another excellent feature of the calendar blocks is that they can be set to repeat. As a result, make the main blocks recurring and then add the particular to-dos to each block.
Determine how much time you need for a task
At first, this could just be a guess. Simply choose something and see how long it takes you to do it. After a few repetitions, you’ll have a good idea of how long it’ll take you to finish the project.
Writing an article like this one, for example, takes me around two Pomodoros, or 50 minutes.
When you’ve figured out how much time you’ll need for a work, try to keep it to a minimum. Let’s imagine you need 2.5 hours to complete an excel evaluation. Set your timer for 2 hours and 20 minutes when you’ve figured that out. Always reduce it a little at a time until you reach a point where it’s nearly impossible to work any faster.
Do not allow interruption
During the time limit, do not be distracted or interrupted.
You’ll need blocks that allow you to work intensively if you want to be more productive. This method is only effective if you wish to eliminate all distractions. Close your email inbox, turn off all notifications, mute your phone while you’re working, and store it somewhere else. This, believe me, will be a huge boost to your productivity.
Set a timer
A timer is obviously required to keep track of how much time you need for a task and to set a deadline. If you don’t use a timer, you’ll probably take longer because you won’t know how quickly time flies.
Plus, if you don’t have a clock ticking that tells you how much time you have left until your time limit expires, it’s much simpler to be distracted.
Get started with the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro Technique is the most effective way to get started with timeboxing. This is a straightforward strategy in which you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute rest. Although twenty-five minutes may not appear to be much, if you work without interruptions, you will be able to accomplish a great deal.
This is why it’s best to get started with this system right away. Make sure to get up from your workstation in between Pomodoros and take a long rest after about 4 Pomodoros. If you don’t have any issues working for 25 minutes straight, you may extend your timer if you’ve given yourself more time to complete a task.
These are great ways to master timeboxing for increased productivity you should know.
