What is timeboxing?

Timeboxing is a time management technique that involves allocating a fixed, maximum period of time for an activity in advance, and then completing the activity within that time frame.

The key thing to remember with Timeboxing is that you are allocating a limited/realistic amount of time to doing the activity.

This is different to time blocking where you are simply blocking out time to work on a task or activity.

Timeboxing can be particularly useful for when you want to spend time on an ongoing activity but don’t want to spend all your time (or an unspecified amount of time) on one activity. I personally find it particularly useful for dealing with time drains such as emails and social media.

How to Timebox Effectively

01. Find suitable tasks

Review your to-do list or task list and find tasks that work well with the time-boxing technique. Time-boxing can work well for:

• things that you find overwhelming and need to break down into regular chunks;
• never-ending tasks that you just need to tackle for a short period;
• things that you should be doing, but because no one is chasing you for them they don’t get done;
• things that you don’t particularly want to do.

You can select any task you want and allocate it to a timebox, but some tasks work better with this method than others.

02. Define your goals

Once you’ve picked out your tasks, think about what you want to accomplish and in what timeframe. Break down larger tasks into bite-sized sub-tasks/goals.

This can be done in a number of ways. For example, you can identify the deadline for the task/ultimate goal and work backwards allocating a certain amount to time/number of steps every day or week. For example, if you are reading a book your goal might be to read a chapter a week to complete the book by the deadline.

Alternatively, you can simply identify a spare half an hour and allocate a necessary task to it. Your goal might be to focus on that task and that task only for a certain period of time.

The key thing is to have a clear goal or task.

03. Set the timeframe

Once you’ve decided on the tasks you need to do and what you want to achieve (your goal) you can then allocate/set a time frame for doing each of these tasks. Set accurate, manageable and realistic time frames to get the tasks completed. Decide when you are going to work on it and block it out in your diary or calendar.

When scheduling your time blocks think about your natural productivity cycle and schedule more difficult tasks at the start of the day or when you have the most energy.

However, remember that any timeboxes should be manageable therefore we recommend that any one timebox should not be longer than 90 minutes and you should also incorporate breaks. This is why I often use this techinique in combination with the pomodoro technique and try to work in 25-minute chunks.

04. Use your timeboxes

Finally, work on your tasks using your scheduled time boxes. Keep to the allocated time frame. Once the time is up, move onto the next thing. Keep your time-boxing under review. If you are not accomplishing the tasks in your time frames, review what you are doing and identify what might need to be changed.