Time-blocking is an easy time-management hack by Cal Newport that takes just a minute but leads to so much clarity in your day.The night before, simply divide the coming day into 30-minute blocks (or 5-minute blocks if you’re Elon Musk) and assign tasks to them.

#1. Time-blocking

You’ve heard of visualization as a technique to improve your future. However, visualizing a bright future alone won’t do much if you’re not willing to dial it down to the present and inculcate the needful habits to convert those imaginations into reality.This helps you double-anchor your mind to the day you planned out for yourself the night before. And this makes it even easier to stick to your plan.

Micro-visualisation

You don’t lack time. You just waste most of it on useless busyness.

<ul><li>Time-block your day the night before.</li><li>Then, micro-visualize the same schedule in the morning.</li><li>When it’s time to work, speak out loud, “5–4–3–2–1: Eat the frog!” Eat the biggest frog in the morning.</li><li>And then, start a timer to make sure you stay anchored to the work at hand.</li></ul>

In A Nutshell:

Eating the frog is basically doing the most challenging and dreaded task of the day. And while you’re time-blocking it the night before, it’s best to schedule it first thing in the morning.

5–4–3–2–1: Eat the frog for breakfast!

<ul><li>It eliminates the procrastination that stems from trying to decide “when” to start working.</li><li>When you lay out your day on a piece of paper and assign tasks to them, you’ll realize that you actually have a lot of time in a day.</li></ul>

Here’s why it works wonders:

Whenever you start doing your work, set a timer for like an hour, or maybe 40 minutes. Whatever works for you.Here’s why: a timer anchors you to the task at hand and makes distractions almost impossible. Because your mind knows the timer is on, it’s going to stay focused. This happens because a timer creates a sense of accountability.

Start a timer

<ul><li>The most challenging task of the day is also the one that induces the most procrastination. Hence, the later you schedule it, the more time you might waste time procrastinating because of the stress it induces.</li><li>But if you do it first thing in the morning, you’ll feel like a winner all day. That’s why scheduled it for the morning.</li><li>Also, use the <a href="https://melrobbins.com/five-elements-5-second-rule/">5-Second rule</a> by Mel Robbins to help you further. The idea is to start counting backward — 5–4–3–2–1 — and physically push yourself to begin working at 1. </li></ul>

Here's why:

These four, if practiced together, are genuinely a lethal combination that will kill procrastination.

When we look at these stats, it’s easy to think, “Wow! People waste so much time” as if we don't contribute to these stats. But we do. You’re a part of these. And so am I. And hence, it's better to…

ANONYMOUS

Similar ideas to ANONYMOUS

TIBOR HLOSKA

Humility and self-confidence

Two Minute Tasks