From the April 17, 2019 issue of FurtherWe each have our own way to organize the day. Lists tend to top the, well … list, but they’re not necessarily the most productive use of your time. That’s true whether they’re comprised of to-do’s, won’t do’s, or accomplishment-celebrating ta-das.
Organizing your daily workload by tasks can be a trap for procrastinators and perfectionists alike. Plus it’s way too easy to get hooked on crossing the small things off your list while leaving more important tasks festering until the last minute.
So enough with the lists. Let’s trade in those endless laundry lists for sensible, finite, and disciplined timeboxing.
Focus on time, not tasks
Timeboxing is simple: you block out a set amount of time on a calendar to work on each task.
Like speed dating, it’s all about cutting to the chase by minimizing distractions and maximizing focus. And when time’s up, you move on to the next task without worrying if it’s complete or not.
This is why agile software developers favor timeboxing to help deliver high-quality work, faster and more often. It’s also why it nabbed the top spot in a Harvard Business Review survey of the top 100 productivity hacks.
Boxed up & ready to roll
If you’re working solo, chunking out projects into time-bounded tasks helps eliminate overwhelm, and simplifies complex work you may by avoiding. It also helps you finally make time for important tasks that we tend to put off, like learning something new.
If you’re working with a team, up-leveling transparency with a shared calendar supports greater collective productivity with less chance of anyone over-analyzing tasks, missing deadlines, or going over budget.
The trickiest part is deciding how to break up your tasks and how much time to allocate for each one. Don’t stress; this improves over time. Just be sure to include breaks in your schedule like meetings or commutes, as well as contingencies for unexpected interruptions.
This is one case where thinking inside the box is a great antidote to analysis paralysis. Stop letting work box you in, and start timeboxing for more control of your schedule — and your personal satisfaction.
How Timeboxing Works and Why It Will Make You More Productive (Harvard Business Review)
