Tip of the Week: TIME BOXING!

We all want a better way to manage our time.  It is easy for the hours to slip by with only one task disappearing from our list.  Perhaps some time management skills are in order.

One useful tool for managing time and getting work done is time boxing.  No, there won’t be any violence here.  Think of the geometric shape of a box, instead of the ring and fighting gloves.

For some tasks, you might spend five hours completing each one.  Did you need five hours or did you spend that time getting it perfect?  Between breaks, your mind wandering, and other distractions, you might only have worked half that amount of time on the project. 

Time boxing is a concept mostly used by software developers, but it can be adapted for other projects in the workplace and in personal use at home.  It involves assigning necessary tasks a certain measure of time in your day.  Within those time constraints you accomplish what you can and then move on to something else.

For the office, time boxing helps you whittle away at a task list that might be long.  Usually a long list brings on the pangs of procrastination.  Since the task is so large, anxiety sets in that can keep you from wanting to do any work at all.  Time boxing takes care of anxiety that leads to procrastination and perfectionism.

Here’s what you do…

Decide what needs to get done.  It could be on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis depending on deadlines for your projects.

For daily tasks, you can set aside time for each task throughout the day.  The time period allotted may be enough to complete the job or it may not.  If it is not, allocate more time later on.

On a weekly basis, projects with priority can have a longer stretch of time.  Work on a large project for a couple of hours a day.  Keep using allocated time each day until it is finished.

Time boxing works for open-ended projects that have a deadline, but no other milestones in between.  Tackle a large project in small chunks so that everything is ready for delivery by the due date.

Time boxing allows you to focus on the task at hand.  For 30 minutes or an hour, you are working as hard as you can to get the work done.  After that, the project sits until its turn comes around again.

Utilizing time boxing increases productivity.  Instead of going from task to task aimlessly, you have a purpose throughout your day and adequate time to make a dent in your work.  At home, doing chores can actually take less time with this technique.

Are you interested in time boxing?  Give it a try when managing your home life, as well as for work projects.