What is Time Boxing? And Why Should I Use It?

What is Time Boxing?  And Why Should I Use It?

I know.

What am I even talking about? And why is this even a thing?

Hear me out.

Time boxing.

Just another method to increase your productivity that forces you to rethink how you complete tasks and how you utilized your time.

With time blocking, a set amount of time is set aside to complete a task. Example, from 10 - 11:30 AM, I will complete the meeting notes for our upcoming department meeting. Ideally, after 11:30, I am done with this task.

Time boxing handles task that are never ending or things that you have to continuously work on over a longer period of time. With this, the intent is not to complete the task, but to get as much done as you can during the time allotted.

Think of bigger task that will take several days or weeks, but also think about things that you do every day, reading a novel, writing a blog, cleaning out your closet; all task that can be done over an extended period of time; these are the things you time box.

As a high school counselor, one of my big rocks, is updating my students' credit check sheet. This can take several days, it's a tedious task that can tire you out quickly. During the work day, I box out two hours of time each day to work on this tasks, in that time box, the goal is to complete as many as I can, then stop. The next day, I box out another two hours. Breaking it up this way helps to not only keep my eyes fresh and minimize mistakes, but it also prevents this from becoming overwhelming. Now, my entire day isn't dedicated to this one thing, and I'm not falling behind on other tasks.

At night, I box time to work on my blog or my planner. These are things that I'm not focused on completing at that time, but I still want to dedicate some time to, so I give myself an hour to write, or rewrite, or read; I might not post or even complete the article, but at least I have worked on it.

Things to keep in mind when boxing your time:

1. Start with the due date and work backwards. Know when you need to have the task complete and divide the time up so that you are done long before the date.

2. Give yourself enough time. Thirty minutes a day to work on credit sheets, won't help me at all, but two hours is a good amount of time for me to get a lot done. Be realistic with your time and the task at hand.

3. Stick to the plan. When the time comes for you to work on said task, work on it. I know this is easier said than done, especially if people are pulling you in every direction. But remember, if you don't plan out your time, someone else will.

4. Use the time for that one task. If you boxed out two hours, use the two hours. My co-working calls it, "going under water." Work on only one task, minimize distractions, send calls to voicemail, ignore emails; this takes planning, because you have plan time to handle these tasks later on.

Time boxing and time blocking are not enemies, they are two different tools that you can use in one day. It doesn't have to be either or. Use whichever method is best for the individual task, some things you can block out thirty or forty minutes to complete and other task might take two weeks to complete.

The goal is make the best usage of your time; without feeling overwhelmed and without falling behind. Increase your productivity, decrease the anxiety, and plan accordingly.