Time management issues.
What? Me?
OK, yeah…I’m not the best at time management. I’m challenged in the time management department. I tend to lose track of time when I’m working on a task, be it blending out my eyeshadow or cleaning my office. Sometimes I’ll think, “Oh, this should take me about 10 minutes.” Then I’ll glance over at the clock in shock and dismay to see that two hours have gone by. 🙁
It’s one of the things I struggle with almost more than anything else.
But I’m always working on it. In fact, I just started a new time management trick that’s been pretty helpful. What I do is set a timer for ⏱ 20 minutes, and all I do is work on one specific task — just one — for that full 20 minutes. No multitasking or doing anything else. I just do the one thing for that 20-minute block. Then I take a 5-10 minute break.
Twenty minutes doesn’t seem like a lot, but my gosh! — you can get A LOT done in 20 minutes if you just focus on one thing. You totally can! It’s kind of amazing.
I don’t know what it is about 20 minutes, but I think the key is the break at the end. I’m always tempted to keep working when my timer ⏰ goes off and I’m in a groove, but the breaks are REALLY important, especially if you’re doing something you kind of dread. Like, for me, that’s cleaning on the weekend.
The last thing I want to do on a Saturday afternoon is scrub the bathtub, but I feel like I can handle it for 20 minutes. It’s a sprint, and it’s enough time to make a dent in almost any project.
It even works for long-term projects like planning a trip. If you spend 20 minutes every day researching places to stay or checking flights… I’m serious, you’ll be amazed how well it works. Even 20 minutes is way better than not doing anything at all.
Give it a whirl. It’s helping me a lot, and not just with work stuff, but with everyday life stuff too.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Happy hump day, my friend. ?
A well known adage in the work place is that a task expands to fit the time available. When there is no time limit, it can take seemingly forever to get something done because people get bored, distracted, loose focus, and putz around. That’s why the working day is divided into blocks of time separated by breaks or changes in activity, why meetings have agendas with set times, why appointments are scheduled at regular intervals, why there are deadlines and quotas, etc. The bottom line is that time limits help keep people on task and moving forward. In addition, breaking a large or unpleasant task into smaller components can make it less daunting and more manageable. It makes sense to apply the same concept to at home tasks; especially to things we don’t want to do.
Hi Eileen,
I’ve heard that! Do you have any techniques that you like to use to stay focused on tasks? I’m always looking to learn more ways to better manage my time.
I’ve just always been well organized when it comes to managing time. Before I retired, I was one of those people always chosen as team leader or project manager because I worked well with a variety of people and could get everyone moving forward and on time usually by chunking the task into easily managed tasks, providing organizational guidance, and building in lots of checkpoints. It’s just my natural MO. The down side to all that workplace wonderfulness is that I’m not a very spontaneous person 🙁 As for actual techniques, The Pomodoro Technique (or some variation like you’ve come up with) seems to work really well for a lot of people.
I wish I had some of your natural time management skills because I really have to work at it. I’m spontaneous by nature and work best organically without a plan. When everything’s firing creatively I can get by OK, but for most things it’s a challenge.
What did you do before you retired?
Thank you! I needed this today. Lately I feel like I’m busy all the time without getting anything done. 20 minutes is a good place to start! Hope you and the family are doing well. 🙂
Hi Ruchita,
You’re welcome. 🙂 I know what you mean about always being busy but never getting anything done; I feel that way often, but when I keep track of my time this way I’m so much more efficient.
How’s it going on your end? Are the kitties doing OK?
Things are going well. Work has been busier than normal, but I’m looking forward to taking some time off during the holidays. The kitties are fine, but they’re not fans of the cold weather because they can’t go out as much. It’s already snowed a couple of times! Mingus seems impervious to the cold, but I’m the one freezing when I take him out. 🙂
It must be exciting that this is Connor’s first Christmas. I bet she’ll get spoiled!
Mingy has to be part Siberian Forest Cat! Or perhaps he has some snow leopard in his lineage? I don’t think I’ve ever known a cat who loves the snow as much as he does.
I’m going to spoil Connor a little bit. 🙂 Her grandparents, though, are all over it! I’m like… “Girl, I could buy you some clothes, but I know you’re gonna outgrow them in about two seconds. So we’ll leave that up to grandma and grandpa.” LOL
Will you guys be sticking close to home this year for the holidays? Or do you have any travel plans?
I’ll have to brave the outdoors to get some pics of Mingy in the snow!
I’ve seen such cute Christmas themed baby clothes. I’m sure she’ll look adorable.
I’ll be visiting relatives in India over the holiday. The last time I went was 2009 so it’s been a while. My parents and brother will be there too. I’m not looking forward to the crazy, long flight but it will be good to see my extended family.
Never thought about setting a timer to keep track of tasks. I’m usually pretty good with my time management. That said, sometimes I do tend to drop one task to go and do something completely else that should not get priority. Like clean out my wardrobe or something.
If anyone wants to learn more about this technique, it is called the Pomodoro technique and has been around for years. It is incredibly effective. There’s tons of supporting websites, books and apps etc which you can use. I use an app called focus time (free I think) on the iPhone which gives you pretty graphs of the pomodoros you’ve done…
Thanks Charlotte for the app suggestion! It sounds like something I would love. I learned about this technique for a cleaning website (of all places) and it’s so helpful for everything in life.
Sounds like Pomodoro! Which has been the biggest lifesaver ever. I have a different problem, where if I have a big task I’m too intimidated to even start. So, by saying to myself “you only need to work for 20 minutes,” it breaks up the scary 10 hour project into manageable chunks of time. I highly suggest it for college students with homework!
Yes! I think that’s what it’s based on (I found it on a website that talks about cleaning, of all things, LOL!). I’m the same way as you. I see a huge project, and I get overwhelmed easily. Keeping it to bite-sized 20-minute chunks makes it so much easier. 😀
This sounds like a really good system, Karen! I totally lose track of time, too, unless I’m in a situation where I have to watch the clock. A strategy that I’ve found helpful when faced with an overwhelming task, one where I really don’t even know where to begin, is to do just one small thing a day, most days, toward getting it done. It is truly amazing how doing *something*, no matter how small, truly is different from doing nothing toward a goal, and eventually makes it more do-able.
Just what I needed! I feel I cant get anything donebecause I start so many things at once and get so overwhelmed that I stop!
I love this concept! There are certain tasks that I can power through, no problem (like cooking because I love to cook) and there are other tasks that I need to break up into “bite size pieces” like writing. In fact, when I get back to writing in January, I’ll plan on 20 minute typing sprees. Thanks for sharing!
There’s been several studies that have shown the ideal concentration time for the brain is something like 20 – 40 min. So if you have a task that’s going to take a long time, it’s good to break it up, even with other tasks, as long as it gets you doing something else for a short time.