Perhaps time boxing just isn't for you? I've read several productivity books and when I read about time boxing, I tried it a bit but ultimately figured out ad hoc a system that made me more...
Perhaps time boxing just isn't for you?
I've read several productivity books and when I read about time boxing, I tried it a bit but ultimately figured out ad hoc a system that made me more productive (or say less unproductive). For me time boxing was too stressful and too on-rails and that if I didn't manage to finish something, then I'd feel bad.
For me, I try to avoid mantras that go like "do X and be more productive". I think it's better to focus on the why doing X would work for most people (or at least the author), start with that and maybe figure out a system that works for you. After all, a system that you put in place is more motivating because it's your idea in the first place.
Have you considered trying the opposite? Essentially time tracking after the fact? Just pick any old task. Dont force yourself to any time limit or constraint. Just tell yourself you're going to...
Have you considered trying the opposite? Essentially time tracking after the fact?
Just pick any old task. Dont force yourself to any time limit or constraint. Just tell yourself you're going to do the very first step, maybe it will only take 5 minutes. Stop there, and mark your planner for the 5min you worked on it. If the whole thing is a 30min task, now you know it will only take 25 minutes next time you work on it.
If you want to work longer, go ahead. Every minute you do now is time you won't have to spend later. If you have one main task you're more motivated to work on, do the first 5min of your other tasks. Mark all of that on your calendar. Then when you sit down to do your main task, mark how long you spent working on it. Maybe its an hour or two.
Now you have records of all the tasks you've started, and you have a good idea of what you'll be working on next time. Tomorrow, you can figure out which of your tasks is the biggest priority. Do 5 minutes of some of your other tasks, track your time, and then move on to your most important task.
You don't have to do your 5 minute tasks first. You also don't have to do them all one after another. You can sprinkle them throughout your day, maybe when you take breaks from your primary task.
This is how I manage my time. It allows me to take breaks when I want to, by shifting my attention somewhere else for a little bit. Then, at the end of the day, I can see where I spent most of my time, and it helps me plan for tomorrow.
Sometimes, I forget to even track my time until the very end of the day. That's alright, I just do my best to fill it out from memory. Its another chance to reflect on everything I've done, and there's no need to track your time perfectly, thats a lot to ask from one person!
One thing that I do that might help is to start winding yourself to a stopping place before the end of the block. Sometime before the block ends, start thinking what you need to do to leave things...
One thing that I do that might help is to start winding yourself to a stopping place before the end of the block. Sometime before the block ends, start thinking what you need to do to leave things in a ready state for starting back up. For me this is things like:
picking a stopping place in the code or document that I can reach before the block ends
saving/committing/pushing my work
making notes to myself about what the first two or three tasks I will do the next time I start the task
sending out any emails about blockers that other people can be making progress on before the next start, or a status update to stakeholders if needed
I think the part about making yourself notes for next time could be especially helpful with letting you feel like you've "closed the task".
If you have trouble stopping, it might help to set an alarm for 30 minutes before, pick your stopping point, then snooze the alarm in ten minute intervals so you can keep track of whether you're winding down to the end. It may take some practice.
To be clear, this is my method when I have a "hard stop" because of a meeting, having to leave work to pick my kid up, etc. When I have time to get to a natural stopping place, I prefer that, but even then I still do most of those tasks to prepare for a transition.
Perhaps time boxing just isn't for you?
I've read several productivity books and when I read about time boxing, I tried it a bit but ultimately figured out ad hoc a system that made me more productive (or say less unproductive). For me time boxing was too stressful and too on-rails and that if I didn't manage to finish something, then I'd feel bad.
For me, I try to avoid mantras that go like "do X and be more productive". I think it's better to focus on the why doing X would work for most people (or at least the author), start with that and maybe figure out a system that works for you. After all, a system that you put in place is more motivating because it's your idea in the first place.
Have you considered trying the opposite? Essentially time tracking after the fact?
Just pick any old task. Dont force yourself to any time limit or constraint. Just tell yourself you're going to do the very first step, maybe it will only take 5 minutes. Stop there, and mark your planner for the 5min you worked on it. If the whole thing is a 30min task, now you know it will only take 25 minutes next time you work on it.
If you want to work longer, go ahead. Every minute you do now is time you won't have to spend later. If you have one main task you're more motivated to work on, do the first 5min of your other tasks. Mark all of that on your calendar. Then when you sit down to do your main task, mark how long you spent working on it. Maybe its an hour or two.
Now you have records of all the tasks you've started, and you have a good idea of what you'll be working on next time. Tomorrow, you can figure out which of your tasks is the biggest priority. Do 5 minutes of some of your other tasks, track your time, and then move on to your most important task.
You don't have to do your 5 minute tasks first. You also don't have to do them all one after another. You can sprinkle them throughout your day, maybe when you take breaks from your primary task.
This is how I manage my time. It allows me to take breaks when I want to, by shifting my attention somewhere else for a little bit. Then, at the end of the day, I can see where I spent most of my time, and it helps me plan for tomorrow.
Sometimes, I forget to even track my time until the very end of the day. That's alright, I just do my best to fill it out from memory. Its another chance to reflect on everything I've done, and there's no need to track your time perfectly, thats a lot to ask from one person!
I hope this helps!
One thing that I do that might help is to start winding yourself to a stopping place before the end of the block. Sometime before the block ends, start thinking what you need to do to leave things in a ready state for starting back up. For me this is things like:
I think the part about making yourself notes for next time could be especially helpful with letting you feel like you've "closed the task".
If you have trouble stopping, it might help to set an alarm for 30 minutes before, pick your stopping point, then snooze the alarm in ten minute intervals so you can keep track of whether you're winding down to the end. It may take some practice.
To be clear, this is my method when I have a "hard stop" because of a meeting, having to leave work to pick my kid up, etc. When I have time to get to a natural stopping place, I prefer that, but even then I still do most of those tasks to prepare for a transition.