If you are looking for a simple but powerful technique to manage your time more efficiently in 2023, try timeboxing. Here’s everything you need to know to get started today.
What Is Timeboxing?
Despite what its name might suggest, timeboxing doesn’t involve throwing punches at a clock. Rather, it means creating “boxes” of time that you assign to complete certain tasks.
It’s a simple, intuitive idea. And, best of all—it works.
Timeboxing can be described as a goal-oriented time management technique. If this sounds too complex, getting started on timeboxing is really easy: just grab your calendar and create a block of time (say one or two hours) that you will use to complete a task. As simple as that.
When you create a timebox, you have two options:
- Hard timebox: You stop working when you reach the end of the timebox. Period.
- Soft timebox: Soft timeboxing means that you can extend the end of the timebox if necessary. This is particularly useful for tasks where completion time may be hard to determine.
What Are the Benefits of Timeboxing?
Timeboxing has become very popular, and with good reason. For one thing, this technique is really easy to understand and apply. Another important benefit is that it helps eliminate the paradox of choice. We all have pending tasks, and it’s always tempting to put off those that feel more difficult or boring. With timeboxing, you make a decision to get something done and stick to it.
It’s easy to see why timeboxing is also a great antidote against procrastination. In fact, if there’s a task you’ve been putting off, try this: first, read our post on procrastination and then create a timebox to complete that task TODAY.
There you go: now you have a two-punch strategy to beat even the most stubborn bouts of procrastination.
More Tips and Ideas
At the ONE Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce, we are always looking for ideas that help foster the growth of your business. Here are some previous posts to help you do just that:
- How to use social media to advance your career
- Cybersecurity basics for small businesses
- 3 Simple ways to protect yourself against identity theft
- Common grammar mistakes to avoid in your business emails
Interested in learning more about the ONE Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce? Contact us today by email (info@oneinlandempire.com), telephone (951-280-3902), or social media. We look forward to hearing from you!
