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15 Time Boxing Strategies to Get Things Done - Litemind
Overcome procrastination
If you're procrastinating on a task, don't force yourself to finish it. Just put it in a time box.
Setting a time for it will help you overcome your resistance towards the task and chances are that when the time is up you’ll have built enough momentum to continue working on it much longer.
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Key Ideas
Time boxing
It is one of the most effective time management tools.
Time boxing is about fixing a time period to work on a task or group of tasks. Instead of working on a task until it’s done, you commit to working on it for a specific amount of time.
Dealing with small tasks
Time boxes are a great way to tackle those small but annoying tasks.
A good strategy for dealing with them is to fix a time period and tackle all of them at one sitting.
Conquer perfectionism
If you're a perfectionist, you probably dwell on a task for so long that when you notice, a big chunk of your time is gone.
To avoid perfectionism, having a definite cut-off time for a task is one of the best strategies you can use.
Sharpen your focus
Time boxing a particular task helps with excluding other tasks and unrelated thoughts from your radar during that particular time window.
Reducing mental clutter is essential if you want to be fully productive.
Boost motivation
Big tasks, no matter how important, can be demotivating, because you need to work for too long to see their outcomes.
But just like the simple act of crossing off items from your to-do list can be motivating, so is successfully completing a time box. Completing a time box works as a visible sign of progress.
Raise time awareness
How many times have you wondered at the end of the day where did all your time go?
Being more aware of how much you can really fit in your time helps you say ‘no’ to unimportant things more often. Structuring your day in time boxes will help you control how you spend your time.
Create a work rhythm
You only get maximum effectiveness if you properly balance periods of work and rest. Time boxes provide a great framework to allow this balance to happen. The key is to find your own rhythm.
Alternating between different types of time boxes (such as work/rest, or hard/easy tasks) maximizes your use of energy and enables you to accomplish much more.
Get meaningful work done first
Working on your most important projects first thing in the morning will guarantee that you do meaningful work in your day.
Create a time box to work on your biggest goals every day — before the world out there has a chance to disrupt your plans.
Balance your life
We usually become too focused on a specific area of our lives at the expense of others.
Pre-allocating time boxes for the things that matter most is an excellent strategy to help you live a balanced life.
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Switching between tasks can have damaging costs to our work and productivity.
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Brian Tracy
“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends.”
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By the hour
This works well for the chronic procrastinator: those who say they will do it later and then wonder why it never gets done.
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The Pomodoro Method
Rather than trying to work flat-out, break down your day into a series of work-sprints with a short rest period after each session.
Set a timer for 25 min and focus exclusively on your work for that time, take a 5 min break, and repeat.
Some people find that taking a 5 min break destroys their flow. But it does help to break long complex tasks into a series on manageable sprints.
The 2-minute rule
The 2-minute rule is a strategy for quickly assessing and taking action on small tasks so they don’t take up too much mental energy.
Ask yourself if a task is going to take you 2 minutes or less. If so, just do it.
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The Fireman
For you, every event is a crisis and there is always one. You have no time to deal with minor issues like time management, and they accumulate.
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The Over-Committer
You say yes to everything and have trouble setting boundaries, or if you a boss, setting boundaries on the behavior of others who report to you. You overwhelm yourself and that leads to difficulties in fulfilling all your commitments.
Solution: Understand that work-life balance is essential for your well being. Learn to say no and start doing it.
The Aquarian
You have a borderline avoidant approach to work and your high sociability gets in the way of task management and productivity.
Solution: find ways to motivate yourself, avoid procrastination and don’t forget why you are working at something.
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