Productivity is something a lot of us can struggle with and I'm no stranger to this fact.
So, I thought I'd share one of the most effective and efficient approaches I've found works for me,
using Timeblocking. This technique is one that's utilised
by many people in the world today including the likes of Cal Newport, Elon Musk and Bill Gates,
the latter two of which use what is called the 5 minute rule...which
I'll explain in more detail later in the video. Just quickly before moving forward if
you find this video of value and helpful, please consider leaving a like as this will help push
the video to potentially help benefit others. The principle of timeblocking is rather simple,
you schedule your day to include blocks of time in order to complete the tasks you need to do.
Similar to writing up a do to list, the key factor in Timeblocking is that rather than just
writing your priorities, you also work out how long you need and often when you'll do them.
So, the question really comes down to... Why is this effective?
The problem with traditional To Do lists is that we may write down what we need to do,
but then fall foul of actually completing the tasks, something
I've been guilty of as much as anyone. Where timeblocking had a massive impact for me is
that I felt an obligation to complete my daily tasks, not least because I had already planned
when I'd get them done. From a productivity stand point, this had a huge impact on me,
not least because I knew clearly what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it.
Think of it this way, if you need to write a document, but haven't worked out how long you
need or when you'll do it, then the chances of you making progress and getting it done reduce,
simply on the basis that you've not fully committed to completing the work.
However, if you've scheduled the work and committed to doing it at that time,
then your chances of following through naturally increase,
not least because you've given yourself a time to do and therefore a natural deadline.
This leads us to the next point... How do you apply timeblocking?
The steps to Timeblocking can vary depending on your preferences and personal approach. In
my case, I tend to start out by identifying and listing my tasks for the day and then
go through a process of prioritising them. Once I've got the list together and ordered,
I'll work out how long I think I need for each task, usually giving myself a little
contingency time on top to try and give myself a greater chance of success.
After my time has been assessed, I'll schedule these into my day's calendar,
in effect committing to a time to complete the given tasks. Now the key point here is
that by going through this process I've given structure to my day, but equally, it gives me an
opportunity to ensure I'm not overcommitting and setting myself up for failure.
In addition to the priority tasks that I've assigned myself, I usually give myself a
couple of relatively small slots in the day to pick up any random items that happen to come my
way. This might be minor admin tasks like going through emails or they might be in case someone
needs my support. The point here being that I account for unpredictable circumstances which
are a common occurrance in all of our lives. Now how you schedule the time is really up to you.
In the past I've created blocks of 15 minutes, so a task might need 15 minutes, 30 minutes,
45 minutes and so on. These days I block using the methods Bill Gates and Elon Musk use,
which is I try to implement blocks to the nearest 5 minutes instead, the key benefit here being that
I can be more granular and focused in assessing time, but equally more efficient and productive.
To help me do this I try to break down bigger tasks into subtasks, making it easier to assess
them and equally help them feel less overwhelming. So if possible, I can't recommend this enough.
However, it's worth noting this level of granularity can be more difficult to get right
so it's something I'd suggest doing once you've experienced the process over a period of time.
Even then, you won't always get it right and this leads me to the next point...
Don't Fret Look, fundamentally we're all human
and we inevitably make mistakes, so you won't always hit your schedule 100%.
The point here is that this process is designed to help you to be more productive in your day,
so even if you only get 80% of your schedule done for the day, that's still
significantly better than maybe the 20 or 30% you would have done with no Timeblocking.
And some people might see this as a ball and chain to make you slave your day away.
The reality is I see it as quite the opposite, I don't timeblock to force myself to work,
rather I use it to help myself to try and have the best day I can imagine, making the most effective
use of my time and ultimately, stopping myself falling into the trap of Parkinson's Law.
So give timeblocking a try and see how it works for you, I have few doubts that if done
correctly, it'll improve your productivity significantly, just as it has done for me.