{"id":16209,"date":"2019-02-26T18:22:48","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T18:22:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.toggl.com\/?p=16209"},"modified":"2024-06-21T11:55:26","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T11:55:26","slug":"timeboxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/timeboxing","title":{"rendered":"What Is Timeboxing & How To Master It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timeboxing is the seemingly counterintuitive time management strategy that can help you stay focused and make progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a minute to think about your standard approach to conquering your to-do list.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like most people, you choose a task to start with and then work on it until it\u2019s completed. You don\u2019t allow yourself to move on to anything else until that first task is finished\u2014until you have the satisfaction of crossing it off. <\/span><\/p>\n

Next? You choose another task and repeat the process all over again.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pretty standard way of getting things done, right? But, ask yourself this: Is it always the most effective?<\/span><\/p>\n

What if one of the tasks on your to-do list is so large, you\u2019ll never actually have the time to get to anything else today? Or, what if one of those list items is overwhelming\u2014and you can\u2019t actually motivate yourself to get started on it?<\/span><\/p>\n

In these situations (and so many more!), timeboxing can help you make some forward progress\u2014without the added pressure of completing absolutely everything on that list of yours. <\/span><\/p>\n

What Exactly is Timeboxing?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cA timebox is an agreed-upon period of work, when, by the end of the timebox, you declare the work done,\u201d explains <\/span>Johanna Rothman<\/span><\/a>, a Consultant, and Author who also wrote <\/span>this enlightening article<\/span><\/a> all about timeboxing. \u201cIt\u2019s the \u2018pencils down\u2019 approach to managing bursts of work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, imagine that you wanted to clean up your workspace. There are stacks of paper, scattered dirty coffee mugs, and other assorted debris everywhere, and it\u2019s driving you crazy. <\/span><\/p>\n

But, you also know that cleaning everything until it\u2019s totally spotless will take up way too much of your workday. So, instead, you set a timebox of 15 minutes that you\u2019ll use to clean up your space. \u201cBy definition, the office is as cleaned up as it\u2019s going to get at the end of the timebox,\u201d adds Rothman. <\/span><\/p>\n

What Makes Timeboxing Effective? <\/span><\/h2>\n

At first glance, it might seem like this strategy is a clever way of avoiding the work you don\u2019t want to do by placing a strict time limit.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, that\u2019s not the case. Timeboxing is a tactic designed to help you keep your focus and make some meaningful progress by focusing on time rather than tasks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Much of this comes back to a psychological principle called Parkinson\u2019s Law, which states that work will expand to fill the time you allow for its completion. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you give yourself a week to complete a two-hour task, then (psychologically speaking) the task will increase in complexity and become more daunting so as to fill that week,\u201d writes Joel Falconer in an <\/span>article about Parkinson\u2019s Law<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt may not even fill the extra time with more work, but just stress and tension about having to get it done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go back to the example of cleaning your workspace. If you didn\u2019t set a timebox, chances are you\u2019d look around at all of the clutter, become overwhelmed, and then procrastinate by grabbing another cup of coffee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even once you finally convinced yourself to start cleaning, you likely wouldn\u2019t be that efficient\u2014pausing to reminisce about old paperwork or getting distracted by phone calls, emails, or colleagues. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, if you knew you only had 15 minutes to get as much cleaning accomplished as possible? It\u2019s that much easier to buckle down and make at least <\/span>some<\/span><\/i> progress. <\/span><\/p>\n

What Are the Benefits of Timeboxing?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Obviously, the self-imposed sense of urgency we talked about above is one major benefit related to timeboxing. But, this approach brings a slew of other positives as well, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefit #1: Improved Focus<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rothman explains that one of the biggest benefits she experiences when timeboxing is the increased level of focus. She\u2019s able to dedicate her attention to only the task she set that timebox for\u2014she doesn\u2019t allow herself to become distracted by anything else. <\/span><\/p>\n

When distractions are so prevalent (<\/span>one study<\/span><\/a> shows that the average person is distracted every 40 seconds when working in front of a computer!) and their siren song is so strong, this encouragement to focus on only one thing at a time can do big things for your productivity levels. <\/span><\/p>\n

Benefit #2: Frequent Opportunities to Reassess<\/span><\/h3>\n

How many times per day do you take a step back and evaluate your progress and the outcomes? Maybe once\u2014if you\u2019re lucky?<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s normal. Most of us don\u2019t take the time to assess our performance until the end of our workday\u2014when we glance down at our to-do lists and instantly become frustrated by how many things remain untouched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rothman says the opportunity to frequently step back and get perspective is another undeniable perk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the timebox is over, I have a chance to assess my work,\u201d she says. \u201cAm I happy with my output? If not, I haven\u2019t wasted much time. I can redo it later. Am I happy with my progress? If so, I can reflect on what made me successful. If I\u2019m not happy, I can reflect on what\u2019s preventing me from being satisfied.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Benefit #3: Less Overwhelming Projects<\/span><\/h3>\n

Think of the last time you had to tackle a particularly large project\u2014such as completing all of the slides and notes for an upcoming presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s intimidating, isn\u2019t it? That project stretches out before you, and you feel too overwhelmed to even take a single step in the right direction. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is another aspect where timeboxes come in handy, as they allow you to break your progress into time, rather than tasks or milestones. It\u2019s a lot easier to think, \u201cAlright, I\u2019m going to work on this for an hour,\u201d than it is to think, \u201cI\u2019m going to work on this until it\u2019s done.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Does Timeboxing Work Better For Specific Projects?<\/span><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll hear the concept of timeboxing discussed a lot in the context of agile teams and environments. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Some agile teams use a timebox (often called an iteration in agile jargon) in the large to plan and manage all their work. These timeboxes-in-the-large are often one or two weeks in total,\u201d explains Rothman. <\/span><\/p>\n

By using these iterations to break down an entire project, agile teams are able to:<\/span><\/p>\n