Try timeboxing instead of time blocking
Productivity ⏱️ | Time Management ⏱️ | #Timeboxing #TaskManagement #Workflow
TL;DR
Time boxing: Allocate set time for tasks, moving on when time's up, boosting productivity.
Challenges: Estimating task time accurately, avoiding overestimation or underestimation.
Tips: Define goals clearly, break tasks into chunks, start with familiar tasks, consider a review session, reward achievements.
Seed
There are many reasons why sometimes we can’t finish a piece of work. We keep investing more and more time into it, and it seems like it will never end. There’s always something to add, to remove, to improve.
Enter timeboxing (not time blocking). It's a method where you allocate a specific time frame to work on a task, regardless of completion status. Once the time is up, you must move on to another task.
One core challenge when you start timeboxing is to estimate correctly how much time you need to get through a task.
If you overestimate, you will likely end up using all the allocated time and being less productive than you could—see Parkinson's Law. And if you underestimate the time you need, you'll be tempted to set up another timebox to finish this later. But if you do so, you are likely to go back into time blocking mode. As it's easy to block time again and again, and let the task drag for too long. Making you less productive than you could be, once again.
So here are a few tips to help you estimate the time more accurately:
Define the goal you want to achieve by the end of your session as clearly as possible.
Break down your tasks into small chunks. If you can break down tasks into bits that can be completed in 25 minutes, that's ideal—see the Pomodoro technique.
Start your first timeboxed sessions with tasks you already know well and can estimate the time for more easily.
For tasks that are difficult to estimate, allocate an extra 10% to 20% of time in your first sessions as a safety net.
Here are a couple of ideas to run your first sessions:
Timeboxing can be stressful, so have a try only when you feel ready to take the challenge. Note that when you're ready for it, it can be quite exciting, helping you get in the zone quickly and giving a greater sense of achievement at the end.
Prepare your work environment. Make sure you have everything you need to achieve your task, and make sure you won't be interrupted during the session.
Since you'll be under pressure, you'll be more likely to make mistakes. Consider scheduling another shorter timeboxed session dedicated to reviewing your work afterward.
Reward yourself for every task you achieve within the set time.
Try it out, see how it fits into your existing workflow, and make the best of what you discover.
Happy timeboxing!
Example
For my fellow musician readers, here’s an example of an intense timboxing exercise by Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang: recording an album in 12h.
Bonus
Here are a couple of benefits you can expect from timeboxing. And here some additional tips you can apply.