Get Things Done With Time Boxing

If youre wondering whytheres so much hype about time boxing, well thats because this technique isone of the most effective time management system thus far. So what makes itvery effective? And how was it developed? For a very simple concept, it is quitesurprising how powerfully effective this technique has become. Heres a littlebit of basic information about the said technique.

The invention of this technique can be credited tosoftware developers. Even before time boxing was created, software developerswork in an industry where projects have fixed deadlines and released dates, andnot being able to deliver by the said deadline is simply not an option. Andthis is how the technique basically works: set up fixed amounts of time to docertain tasks and finish the task within that timeframe.

This time management technique is pretty muchcomparable to setting deadlines, except in a smaller scale if youre doing iton a daily basis for your tasks. Instead of setting a certain date, you settime frames by minutes or hours. If youre a new convert to the technique, youcan start off by setting 10-minute timeframes for each of your daily tasks. Allyou need to do is focus on the one specific task for 10 minutes, and when thetime is up, whether youve finished it or not, youll have to stop and take abreather. And several days after your first try, you can adjust the settimeframe according to what you need. This helps make sure that by the end ofyour shift you are sure that you got something done, even just a chip for eachof your tasks.

If the concept is simple, so is the set up and use you wouldnt even need any hi-tech equipment for it. All you need is a simplealarm system and a list of your tasks. First, consider your tasks and make aquick estimate on how much time you will need to be able to do some work oneach task. List down your tasks in a checklist form, and draw a box besideeach. In the box, write the amount of time (in minutes or hours) that youintend to spend working on the task. Once youre done with your list, set youralarm for your first task. And youre ready to do your time boxing! Just remember to reset thealarm when it goes off after every task.

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