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Thursday 24 October 2019

When "Time over Task" defines Productivity !


Source: projectmanagersuccess.com
It's easy to get lost in the maze of work (tasks) during our quest to become more productive. Little do we realise that productivity is as much about time as about tasks and merely focusing on finishing as many tasks as possible may not always be the best approach to being productive. When productivity is at stake, then both quality and quantity hold equal importance, and we can't afford to compromise on either. But maintaining the balance between quantity and quality is easier said than done !

It's not easy being productive in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, where distractions exist in plenty and we need to try really hard to stay focused. Speed is of great essence in everything that we do but at times things may get too overwhelming for us because of the plenty that we need to work on. So, when "unlimited tasks in limited time" becomes the order of the day, then "prioritisation" is our only saviour and the focus shifts from merely accomplishing things to accomplishing the right things.

Here's sharing about a tool/ technique that could stand us in good stead when we need to balance prioritisation and speed/ time. The tool/ technique is known as TIMEBOXING, a simple way to get the best out of our every effort. Let's explore it in detail below


What is Timeboxing ?
Source:lucidchart.com

TIMEBOXING refers to allocation of a fixed length of time to an activity with the purpose of limiting the amount of time spent on each of the identified activity. This technique ensures 2 things
for us

  • appropriate time is spent on each activity based on their importance (the discretion lies with us in terms of how much time we allocate to each of the identified task/ activity). 
  • dedicated attention and maximum focus is put to each of the identified task/ activity
Unlike POMODORO technique, where the length of time allotted to each identified task is fixed to 25 minutes, here, in TIMEBOXING, there is a flexibility provided in terms of allotting any length of time to an activity, based on our judgement.



Why TimeBoxing would work ?

This technique would work for the simple reason that we live in a highly distracting world and with our attention span waning day by day, we need a technique that could deliver us results without demanding our prolonged attention.  


What are the benefits of Timeboxing ?

Source: litemind.com
Among the many benefits of timeboxing, few of the important ones are as mentioned below:
  • Better control over 
    • time
    • task and 
    • prioritisation of tasks
  • Opportunity to reassess the task in terms of complexity and effort and accordingly modify time allotted, if need be
  • Focus our energy and effort on important items and render us more productive
  • Avoid burnout as we only spend a defined time-length on any activity/ task, irrespective of whether the task gets completed wholly or partially
  • Builds concentration as we devote our full attention to a task for that time-duration.
  • Flexibility in defining different time-lengths for different activities/ tasks
  • Helps avoid procrastination as important things get precedence over less important ones 

What are the steps for applying Timeboxing ?
  • Identify the goal to be accomplished and the objectives to be met
  • List down all the tasks/ activities required for accomplishing the goal/ meeting the laid down objective(s)
  • Calculate and set time-length for each of the identified task/ activity
  • Prioritise the tasks, in alignment with the goal/ objective, in terms of sequence/ order, length and breadth pertinent to each activity
  • Evaluate the progress against the goal/ objective 
  • Reassess the time-length if desired results are not obtained 

Few precautions to take 
  • Before applying the timeboxing technique, ensure to establish the goal first 
  • Set short and realistic timeboxes, keeping in mind the average human attention span and the individual attention span too
  • Have in place a dedicated timer. If using a smartphone or any other gadget for use as a timer, ensure the data is off to avoid any distracting prompts or pokes
  • Build in relevant breaks during timeboxing
  • If not required/ needed, avoid the temptation to finish the entire activity/ task in one go 

Remember, timeboxing is the way to go when you want to be in flow !

11 comments:

  1. Great post with useful information sir, I really liked the idea of "Time boxing", and agree that setting a goal and analysing your progress will help a lot in being productive and achieve desired goals. will request you to explain whole process in more detail with some practical examples in next post. would love to learn more about it.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Surbhi and i am happy to know that you found the post useful :). I firmly believe in setting goal(s) as that gives an anchor point to measure progress. I cover the process in great detail during the productivity workshops and programs that i facilitate. The beauty of this technique is that there's no specific template you need. all you need to do is to pick up a task, which could be a specific micro task or a macro task like planning your day. I can quote an example of how i use it and i am sure you it would appeal to you as well. I use timeboxing during blogging, to write my blog posts. I look upon every blog post as comprising of 4 steps - 1. Identifying the theme and tile of my post (30-45 min), 2. Researching on the topic (2:30 - 3:00 hrs), 3. Preparing an outline for the post (1:30 hrs) and 4. publishing the post online on my blog (1:30 hrs). For each of the above mentioned steps, i dedicate certain time-length and ensure that i stick to that, else writing a blog post becomes an endless task. The tentative time i spend on each of the step is mentioned against each step above. Hope the above gives you an idea about applying the technique.

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  2. Time Boxing sounds good. We have an app for everything these days!Very insightful post you have here.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments and definitely, we can use an app to keep us on track !

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  3. I have never heard of timeboxing but it seems like an easy to follow method to boost productivity in work and in life. Thanks for sharing!
    Noor Anand Chawla

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    1. Happy to know that you got introduced to this super easy and highly useful technique. It's indeed very easy yo follow and goes a long way in boosting our productivity alongwith providing us with feedback for improvement.

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  4. Never heard about time boxing but it is a great tool to enhance one's productivity.Thanks for sharing !

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    1. Happy that you know about timeboxing now :)
      I am sure that once you start using this technique, you are going to start accomplishing more.

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  5. This is the first time I am hearing about the term 'Timeboxing'. It is really important to set specific time to complete a task. These are some really important and easy tips to follow in order to make our day more productive. Thank you for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments Simrit. Happy that i could i introduce you to a new productivity technique :)

      Indeed, the steps are super easy but can really make a huge difference in our life. Timeboxing can make our life more productive, in every micro or macro way.

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  6. Sadly (or not) I find most of the advice above completely useless to me. It may be writing goals and setting up a tracking system works for majority, but for me none of those work. I start excited with lofty goals, thinking this is it, I've finally overcome it, then a week later, I'm back to my original procrastinating self.

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