Last updated Mrach 13, 2022

The modern workday involves being endlessly bombarded by emails, instant messages and even impromptu video calls.

Astonishingly, interruptions at work can cost you over six hours a day, with workers switching tasks once every three minutes! As it can take over 20 minutes to find your flow again, your valuable time is being wasted.

Switching between tasks can leave you feeling stressed and with little to show for eight hours of work. But timeboxing offers a way to remain task-focused and keep on top of emails or messages.

What is timeboxing?

Timeboxing ensures that you use your time productively. Much like booking a meeting, timeboxing involves booking specific time slots in your calendar way in advance. Then, during the timebox, you can use the time to focus completely on getting tasks done.

It’s good practice permanently booking out time in your calendar a few days, or even weeks in advance, though I recommend not dedicating tasks for the timebox until closer to the time. Instead, try starting your day with a five-minute planning session to allocate tasks for the timeboxes you have booked. Try using the Eisenhower matrix to help you prioritise your tasks for the day.

Be strict

The trick to timeboxing is to be strict. Start and finish the task on time, even setting an alarm to alert you to the end of the timebox. Stopping may feel uncomfortable at first, but you will quickly learn to predict how long a task will take, ensuring that you can complete it before the alarm goes off. Of course, some tasks require longer than an hour. In this case, dedicate several timeboxes to complete the work in stages.

Being strict avoids procrastination by prompting you to focus. Conversely, it also prevents timewasting when striving for perfection long after most of the value has been delivered.

Take short breaks

At the end of the allocated time, take a short break of 5 to 10 minutes, and then move on to the next timebox task. Working in short bursts means you can approach each task feeling fresh and energised, rather than ploughing through one task for four hours.

Ignore Distractions

During a timeboxed task, you should ignore emails and messages to give your full concentration on getting the task done. You may be surprised by how much you can achieve when you a task is given your full attention.

But what about my emails?

It is normal to receive a barrage of emails throughout the day. Research by Adobe found that employees spend around six hours per day on email. Every time you receive an email, the ping draws your attention away from your task and concentration is lost. Harvard Business Review found that switching between tasks constantly leaves one feeling exhausted despite little being achieved.

Switch off all message notifications, including those on your phone, then book two 30-minute timeboxes to deal with emails during the day. For many people, 11.30am and 3pm are convenient. Deal with emails and messages for 30 minutes only, and then move to your next timebox. Working in this way, your time is spent far more productively.

Working from home

Many of us are used to working from home following the pandemic and returning to the office full time may be unlikely.

Homeworking has its own set of distractions; unloading the dishwasher, tidying up the kids’ toys, or even an unexpected chat with a neighbour.

However, a study in 2020 found that many workers are more productive when working from home than they were in the office. In fact, productivity is so high that “we can achieve a week’s worth of work in four days”. Deloitte found that 55% of workers thought their colleagues were just as productive now, if not more so, than before lockdown.

Timeboxing when working from home requires dedication but could see you with more free time than when you worked in the office. By timeboxing, you may be able to get household chores completed, or catch up with a friend, without shirking your work duties.

Meetings

Timeboxing meetings prevents them from overrunning with little achievement. End the meeting at the allocated time, even if you haven’t finished. This might appear counterproductive, but gradually the team will learn to manage time together to make sure everything is achieved within the timebox.

Be selective about who you invite to meetings. Similarly, check whether you really need to attend. With remote working in particular, it’s easy to send unnecessary invites, wasting everyone’s time.

Consider when meetings are best scheduled. Don’t let meetings detract from your task-focused timeboxes, and avoid scheduling meetings at inappropriate times such as 4pm on a Friday!

Achieve your goals

Timeboxing ensures your time is used productively, allowing you to focus on, and achieve, your goals more efficiently. It’s just one of the tools I teach my clients to be more effective at work. Learn how managing productivity helped Fiona get ahead.

Boost Your Productivity with Timeboxing