I recently came across an article that gave name to a practice I’ve relied on for years: timeboxing. At its core, timeboxing is the act of assigning a task to a fixed period of time and scheduling it in a calendar. Timeboxing takes a typical to-do list and transitions it to a calendar, which gives a visual representation of the time investment allotted for each task and is a practice that helps boost productivity immensely.
According to the article by Marc Zao-Sanders, CEO and co-founder of Filtered.com, timeboxing is an effective form of time management for the following five reasons:
- It focuses our options
Traditional to-do lists can easily overwhelm us because they compile everything competing for our attention in one place. When we timebox, we narrow our tasks to manageable items, spread over several days, weeks or months. - It balances the simple and difficult tasks
We are naturally drawn to simpler tasks, which can leave us bottlenecked later when the more difficult tasks can’t be put off anymore. By timeboxing, we can create a balance of simple and difficult tasks and ensure we meet all our deadlines without exhausting ourselves. - It creates time for “less important” tasks
We are rarely drawn to important-but-not-urgent tasks, like setting aside time for learning. However, these sorts of tasks are equally valuable. When we timebox, we can assess our needs ahead of time and create space for them in our calendar, so they don’t get overlooked or put off later. - It ties a task to time
To-do lists on their own lack the essential context of the time required and available to complete them. When thinking about adding a task to a calendar, it’s necessary to envision how much time it will take. When planning our workload, we can better assess what additional deadlines we can meet if we can visualize the time we actually have available. - It acts as a commitment device
Calendars can help keep us honest, especially if they’re shared with our team members. If all of our work is in our calendar, colleagues can see it. This visibility enables team members to check that our work schedule aligns with expectations and that our availability aligns with theirs, which helps schedule meetings or check-ins.
Timeboxing also acts as a record of the work we’ve accomplished. Often, we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day that we forget what we did that week or in previous months. Looking back can feel like a blur. By timeboxing, we have a comprehensive journal of everything we’ve done. When we approach a performance review, for example, we can more easily recall and evaluate what we’ve contributed.
With timeboxing, Zao-Sanders notes:
“ … you will be substantially more productive. Parkinson’s law flippantly states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Although it’s not really a law (it’s more of a wry observation), most of us would concede that there is some truth to it (especially as it pertains to meetings). A corollary of this observation in practice is that we often spend more time on a task than we should, influenced by the time that happens to be available (circumstantial) rather than how long the work should really take (objective). Disciplined timeboxing breaks us free of Parkinson’s law by imposing a sensible, finite time for a task and sticking to that. Although it’s hard to precisely quantify the benefits of any time management or productivity measures, this is clearly enormous. Just take a commonplace example: do you habitually take two hours (cumulatively, often drawn out over multiple sessions) to complete a task that really could have been done in a single, focused, time-boxed hour? If the answer is yes, then your personal productivity might be double what it is right now.”
I utilize timeboxing in both my professional and personal calendars. It is a practice that has helped me manage my stress and productivity during some of the busiest chapters of my life. It gives me autonomy over my time and workload, which helps me feel more in control of my professional and personal life.
In my personal calendar, I take it one step further by color-coding. Color-coding helps to differentiate my priorities and send me visual cues of when various types of activities will begin and end. I currently use seven colors that represent a wide range of activity, from work, to play, to exercise and church-related responsibilities. That way, when I look at my calendar, I can tell with a glance the events I have going on that day and week. I can clearly see where work ends and errands begin, and where errands end and socializing begins. When planning my week, the colors help me get a sense of what other activities I can group together to cater to the mood I anticipate being in after their completion. For example, getting work done on my car may align with returning a shopping item.
Getting the hang of timeboxing can feel tricky at first, but it certainly pays off in spades. As we practice estimating how long a task will take, our skills will improve, and in turn, we can find more time in our days.