Top 5 Uses of Time Boxing

Time boxing has proven to be a very effective way of managing one’s time. It’s simply working on a task or group of tasks at a specific amount of time. So instead of putting your foot down to commit on working on one task until it’s done, you work at it instead at a fixed amount of time. It’s that simple, but it should be used wisely, though. Here are the top 5 uses of this technique. To Avoid Procrastination One of the main reasons that time is often mismanaged is procrastination. Instead of wasting the rest of the day making up excuses not to do a task that you don’t like, set aside a minimum amount of time for the task, and once you’ve started on it, you can choose to continue beyond the time you’ve set. You’ll find that you are able to do more on the said task instead of wasting time avoiding it. To Triumph Over Perfectionism Another way that your time can be mismanaged is through perfectionism. This happens when you are spending way too much time on one task, making sure that it is done correctly that you end up not being able to do all your other tasks. Time boxing helps eliminate that by setting a maximum amount of time set aside for the task and to stop doing it as soon as the time is up. To Lessen the “Burden” of Big Tasks Instead of using up a big chunk of your day on one big task, you can divide it into smaller tasks and set time boxes for them. This way you are able to devote enough time on the big task while also being able to do the rest of the smaller but equally important tasks. The smaller boxes can help the big task look less daunting, too. To Improve Focus When tasks are divided into small boxes, it will help with focus problems. This is done by allowing you to focus on a small amount of time, a little at a time. This way, you don’t get overwhelmed. It will also allow you pockets of rest time, so you can recharge your energy and regain your focus in between tasks. To Prioritize Tasks Time boxing can help you set your priorities straight. When you have a set deadline for the tasks, you can assign time boxes wherein you can devote a fixed maximum amount of time for each task. You can then choose which tasks to prioritize and set aside a bigger chunk of time, and which ones can be given less time and less priority.