So many things to do, big and small, so little time. You risk feeling frustrated because you do many things at the same time or do not complete it all in 1 day or part of the day.
The concept of Timeboxing is one of the simplest and most effective productivity tools.
How does it work?
First you split each job you want to do into smaller tasks.
Then you set a target time for each sub-task.
Finally, you complete these sub-tasks one by one.
As an additional motivation, you can use the timer on your phone or computer
Concrete example
If I want to write a blog, I divide this job into the following steps and target times.
Select subject: 15 minutes.
Formulate research questions: 15 minutes.
Researching: 60 minutes.
Make a design: 15 minutes.
Write a first version: 45 minutes.
Edit to a second version: 30 minutes.
Read aloud to someone and put the dots on the i: 20 minutes
Edit to the final version: 30 minutes.
The benefits?
Timeboxing helps prevent procrastination.
With shorter deadlines, you spend your time more efficiently.
Timeboxing helps me to use my time in a more realistic way. You quickly learn whether a sub-task can be done in a certain number of minutes or not. And next time you take that into account.
By ticking off many small sub-tasks, you experience multiple rewards within one job.
When the deadline is approaching or the end of the workday, you are done instead of panicking. That prospect alone gives peace and a sense of control.
This all might feel a bit like a Scrum approach to your own and maybe it is, but there is nothing wrong with that because Scrum is a great way of working.
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