Timeboxing is a great technique for your time management at work. It is simple: give each task on your to-do list an allotted amount of time, schedule it on your calendar, and block out any distractions while you’re working. Once the time you have allotted has ended, you can assess your progress and move onto the next item on your task list.
Timeboxing is an effective strategy to manage your time and to make sure that you are scheduling deep work for time when you have the highest levels of focus and energy. Is it important to not just schedule work but also breaks so that you can take a short walk or clear your head.
The are lots of benefits to implementing Timeboxing into your everyday work schedule and even your personal life.
1. Improved Focus and Concentration:
Setting specific time frames for tasks, allows you to focus on the project at hand without distractions. Knowing that you have a limited block of time can encourage you to really increase your productivity in a short amount of time. Setting a timer for 20-30 minutes for smaller tasks is a great way to start doing this.
2. Reduce Stress:
By timeboxing your day, you can lower your stress levels. Seeing tasks laid out for certain parts of your day can ease your mind as you know that you will get to the project and have it completed by a certain time. Blocking time for work allows you not feel overwhelmed as you’re breaking tasks into smaller more manageable segments of your day. Sometimes knowing you have 4 or 5 things that need to get done in a day can feel overwhelming. However, seeing things laid out with completion times, can really reduce that anxious feeling in your mind.
3. Enhanced Productivity:
Timeboxing encourages prioritization and helps prevent procrastination. Knowing that there is a time to work and a time for a break allows your mind to focus and get the work done. This also allows you to see over the day when you are most productive and when you’re maybe not as focused. This allows you to be able to schedule work that his high priority at a time when you know you usually have prime focus.
4. Encourages Work/Life Balance:
Assigning specific time frames for work-related tasks, helps to establish boundaries between work and home time. It allows you to map out your day and know the timeframes in which you need to get tasks done. By seeing that if you do not complete something in the allotted time, and then knowing it will take up your personal time, it encourages you to focus and get the work done on time.
5. Accountability:
Holding yourself accountable to get things done in a timeframe leads to the commitment of getting things done. It can be very easy to say to yourself “I will do it first thing tomorrow” but by holding to what you have set as your goal for the day, will make you accountable to do so. Oftentimes, new projects can come up out of the blue, and if you have left work from other days to complete, you can find yourself in a difficult situation and not “enough time” to get everything done.
Reviewing the effectiveness of timeboxing after completing tasks helps in understanding productivity patterns. It allows for adjustments in strategies, identifying areas for improvement, and refining the timeboxing technique for better results in the future. Hopefully by timeboxing your day, you will see an improvement in your productivity and a reduction of stress.
For more information on how to effectively schedule your time or to discuss a newrole, get in touch with us today!
