27 Ways to Get More Done In Less Time – 6

Posted by admin on 6 January 2010 filed in 27 Ways to Get More Done

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Get more done by learning to use a timer in “27 Ways to Get More Done In Less Time!” brought to you by BobRatcliff.com in order to share ways in which will make your life less stressful and way more organized.

Timing is sometimes everything when getting more done

6. Use a Timer

You just discovered that setting aside a specific amount of time to do certain tasks is a good idea. Obviously, one way to make sure you actually stick to your time limit is to set a timer.

This works particularly well for open-ended tasks like “reading blogs.” However, your timer can also be used to break up bigger tasks into shorter bursts of focused, productive action.

Think about it:

Have you ever sat down for a two or three hour work session… and soon you found yourself getting distracted? You had to refill your beverage, look out the window to see what the neighbors are doing, check your email… and anything else you could think of to keep you from doing the task at hand. Using a timer can virtually force you to focus on the task at hand and keep going until you’re finished.

Now, you don’t want to set your timer for too long. If you set it for an hour, you’re just going to end up getting distracted again (since it’s hard to maintain laser-like focus for that long). In that case, the timer does nothing for you as far as saving time or boosting productivity.

Instead, you want to set it for a shorter time – perhaps 20 minutes – and then put forth 100% effort until the timer goes off. Then you take a short break (about two to five minutes), reset the timer and do it all over again. Your goal is to keep going through these cycles until you complete your task or until your allotted work time is over.

Tip: Do everything you need to do during those two to five minute breaks. That means refill your beverage, use the restroom, or just walk around or stretch. When you reset your timer for the next 20 minute period, you don’t want to be thinking about anything else except the task in front of you.

See you on the next lesson, “Eliminate Common Distractions” on ways to get more done.