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.
The concept is simple: block (or box) time on your calendar to complete projects and tasks. This will help you reach deadlines in a more organized fashion plus it helps you set aside time for other essential tasks. The key is to block time for everything you do including menial everyday tasks to reoccurring projects to family or "me" time. Block your entire day (if at all possible) so you get an honest feel for the time you truly have available. The results may surprise you!Time Boxing eliminates procrastination (for the most part) because it tells you when to begin working on an item on your To Do List. And it will help curb your perfectionist tendencies because when you find that you are locked on a project (a problem I battle with), it will tell you when it's time to stop and move on to something else.
As a virtual assistant, I have projects come in throughout the day. Some may take as little as five minutes to complete, others may take several hours to days to complete. In the past I have found that tasks which take just a few minutes to do seemed to get put off, waiting for something else for that client so it would take longer. Now, by using the time boxing, I may schedule 30 minutes from 9:00am to 9:30am to update Client A's contact manager with address changes and new people, post Client B's blog, and schedule Client C's ezine. Each task may take only a few minutes, but it's in my 30-minute block of time.
Next I looked at my To Do List, prioritized it, estimated the time each task would take, and then found a place for it within my calendar. I keep my tasks limited to 30 - 60 minutes each "effort", so therefore if one project is going to take four hours to complete I will break it down into four different segments and spread it out. This gives me time to refresh my brain for each effort plus it helps me plan for the deadline. If this particular project is due in just two days, then I might schedule a couple segments for each day, but if it's due in a week I'll break them up over the course of several days.The beauty of using Outlook is that I can easily move scheduled events around! If I don't get to a certain event because of something unexpected, it's no big deal - just drag it to another place within the calendar. (Note: if you already "dismissed" the event, you will need to turn the Alarm back on).I can also color code my events, which I do because I like the visual of seeing at a glance which time is personal, communication, company growth, or paying work.
As you gain focus and discipline, another advantage of time boxing is that it gives you the skills to better manage your time. This technique allows you to see how much time you have spent on each task and gives you the chance to predict how much more tasks you can do depending on the time that you have left for the rest of the day. This also allows you to assess your own strategy and progress and gives you the opportunity take action about it. And finally, time boxing gives you a sense of achievement. No matter how small the amount of time you have set for each tasks, you finish each day with more accomplished tasks than when you do not use the technique.
Find Out More About [Time Boxing] Here.
The concept is simple: block (or box) time on your calendar to complete projects and tasks. This will help you reach deadlines in a more organized fashion plus it helps you set aside time for other essential tasks. The key is to block time for everything you do including menial everyday tasks to reoccurring projects to family or "me" time. Block your entire day (if at all possible) so you get an honest feel for the time you truly have available. The results may surprise you!Time Boxing eliminates procrastination (for the most part) because it tells you when to begin working on an item on your To Do List. And it will help curb your perfectionist tendencies because when you find that you are locked on a project (a problem I battle with), it will tell you when it's time to stop and move on to something else.
As a virtual assistant, I have projects come in throughout the day. Some may take as little as five minutes to complete, others may take several hours to days to complete. In the past I have found that tasks which take just a few minutes to do seemed to get put off, waiting for something else for that client so it would take longer. Now, by using the time boxing, I may schedule 30 minutes from 9:00am to 9:30am to update Client A's contact manager with address changes and new people, post Client B's blog, and schedule Client C's ezine. Each task may take only a few minutes, but it's in my 30-minute block of time.
Next I looked at my To Do List, prioritized it, estimated the time each task would take, and then found a place for it within my calendar. I keep my tasks limited to 30 - 60 minutes each "effort", so therefore if one project is going to take four hours to complete I will break it down into four different segments and spread it out. This gives me time to refresh my brain for each effort plus it helps me plan for the deadline. If this particular project is due in just two days, then I might schedule a couple segments for each day, but if it's due in a week I'll break them up over the course of several days.The beauty of using Outlook is that I can easily move scheduled events around! If I don't get to a certain event because of something unexpected, it's no big deal - just drag it to another place within the calendar. (Note: if you already "dismissed" the event, you will need to turn the Alarm back on).I can also color code my events, which I do because I like the visual of seeing at a glance which time is personal, communication, company growth, or paying work.
As you gain focus and discipline, another advantage of time boxing is that it gives you the skills to better manage your time. This technique allows you to see how much time you have spent on each task and gives you the chance to predict how much more tasks you can do depending on the time that you have left for the rest of the day. This also allows you to assess your own strategy and progress and gives you the opportunity take action about it. And finally, time boxing gives you a sense of achievement. No matter how small the amount of time you have set for each tasks, you finish each day with more accomplished tasks than when you do not use the technique.
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