Since the creation of time boxing, working on tasks as a freelancer has become a lot easier. It's true that the technique does help make the tasks easier and make one a lot more productive and better at managing time. Some would even swear by it as the technique that improved the quality of their work and even their life in general. Here's a quick look at some of the most noteworthy advantages of this technique.
It goes on to say for personal time boxing: "Individuals can use time boxing for personal tasks, as well. This technique utilizes a reduced scale of time (e.g., 30 minutes instead of a week) and deliverables (e.g., chores instead of a component of a business project). Personal time boxing also works to curb perfectionist tendencies by setting a firm time and not over commit to a task. This method can also be used to overcome procrastination (delaying activities or tasks)."how many of us are guilty of procrastination or being a perfectionist? What about at the end of the day feeling like you didn't get enough accomplished or you've forgotten something?I can honestly say since starting time boxing, I feel more organized, more productive, and more on top of my game. Ready to hear how?First, I use my Outlook calendar to block out my time, and then I print it so I have a paper version I can refer to throughout the day. You may be a pen and paper person and prefer to use an appointment book, or maybe you rely heavily on your PDA. Choose which method works best for you.
My Approach to Time Boxing Here is what I did. First, I decided to use the Calendar feature of Microsoft Outlook (but you should use whatever method you are comfortable with). I went ahead and scheduled daily recurring tasks such as barn chores, meals, and personal care time. I also scheduled time for reading email, tweeting on Twitter, and posting on Facebook. This may seem unnecessary but it isn't! Once you block (or box) this time off on your calendar, it gives you a visual of how many hours you have available for work (I was shocked the first time I did it!).
For larger projects, I may schedule an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to work on creating the new PowerPoint presentation and handouts for Client D. And then an hour and a half to work on phone calls for Client E.I schedule my lunch time, and I also schedule break times. As I go through the day, I check off my task as I complete it. It's a great feeling of accomplishment to see those checks!At the end of the day, I go into my calendar, delete the time boxes I've finished, move to the next day the time boxes for the larger projects that I am continuing to work on, and add new time boxes for tasks that have come in throughout the day.Perhaps you find yourself out of the office a lot and having to return phone calls. Block off a period of time during the day to return those calls, or two periods of time if need be. Perhaps e-mails are eating into your productivity. Again, block off periods of time throughout the day to check e-mails and catch up on tweets if you're on Twitter.
However, my absolute favorite feature in Outlook is the Alarm! Oh what a lifesaver that is. I schedule every event with the alarm so that it will sound and tell me "Wrap up what you are doing and move on to the next task." Sometimes I get very involved in a task and hours will go by before I look at the clock again, so this is an excellent way to stop me in my tracks and keep me productive (or let me eat lunch!).I am happy to report that utilizing Time Boxing has really helped to improve my daily productivity especially since joining time-vampires such as Twitter and Facebook (which are necessary evils). Time Boxing keeps me focused and helps me accomplish more in an efficient manner. I love it and recommend it to everyone!
It goes on to say for personal time boxing: "Individuals can use time boxing for personal tasks, as well. This technique utilizes a reduced scale of time (e.g., 30 minutes instead of a week) and deliverables (e.g., chores instead of a component of a business project). Personal time boxing also works to curb perfectionist tendencies by setting a firm time and not over commit to a task. This method can also be used to overcome procrastination (delaying activities or tasks)."how many of us are guilty of procrastination or being a perfectionist? What about at the end of the day feeling like you didn't get enough accomplished or you've forgotten something?I can honestly say since starting time boxing, I feel more organized, more productive, and more on top of my game. Ready to hear how?First, I use my Outlook calendar to block out my time, and then I print it so I have a paper version I can refer to throughout the day. You may be a pen and paper person and prefer to use an appointment book, or maybe you rely heavily on your PDA. Choose which method works best for you.
My Approach to Time Boxing Here is what I did. First, I decided to use the Calendar feature of Microsoft Outlook (but you should use whatever method you are comfortable with). I went ahead and scheduled daily recurring tasks such as barn chores, meals, and personal care time. I also scheduled time for reading email, tweeting on Twitter, and posting on Facebook. This may seem unnecessary but it isn't! Once you block (or box) this time off on your calendar, it gives you a visual of how many hours you have available for work (I was shocked the first time I did it!).
For larger projects, I may schedule an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to work on creating the new PowerPoint presentation and handouts for Client D. And then an hour and a half to work on phone calls for Client E.I schedule my lunch time, and I also schedule break times. As I go through the day, I check off my task as I complete it. It's a great feeling of accomplishment to see those checks!At the end of the day, I go into my calendar, delete the time boxes I've finished, move to the next day the time boxes for the larger projects that I am continuing to work on, and add new time boxes for tasks that have come in throughout the day.Perhaps you find yourself out of the office a lot and having to return phone calls. Block off a period of time during the day to return those calls, or two periods of time if need be. Perhaps e-mails are eating into your productivity. Again, block off periods of time throughout the day to check e-mails and catch up on tweets if you're on Twitter.
However, my absolute favorite feature in Outlook is the Alarm! Oh what a lifesaver that is. I schedule every event with the alarm so that it will sound and tell me "Wrap up what you are doing and move on to the next task." Sometimes I get very involved in a task and hours will go by before I look at the clock again, so this is an excellent way to stop me in my tracks and keep me productive (or let me eat lunch!).I am happy to report that utilizing Time Boxing has really helped to improve my daily productivity especially since joining time-vampires such as Twitter and Facebook (which are necessary evils). Time Boxing keeps me focused and helps me accomplish more in an efficient manner. I love it and recommend it to everyone!
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