5 Ways Timers Can Help You Be More Productive

Written by Ali Luke - 15 Comments
Categories: time management

Do you feel as though your work, studying or chores always end up taking too long? Do you feel as though you could be more effective if only you could stay on task?

Maybe you’re convinced it’s a question of will power, or organization, or motivation. The solution, though, might be very simple.

One of the easiest ways to get dramatic improvements in your productivity is to use a timer. You can grab the one from your kitchen, use the alarm on your phone, or try one of the popular free online timers like e.ggtimer.com or Tick Tock Timer.

When you’ve got a timing ticking away, you’ll suddenly discover a new sense of focus which you never knew you had. Here are five specific ways in which your timer will help:

Writing and Working Faster

A lot of the writers I know – of fiction and of non-fiction – use timers to focus for specific periods. It’s all too easy to get distracted when you’ve told yourself that you’ll spend a whole morning on that report or article or short story … when you’ve got thirty minutes to sit down and focus, you’re much more likely to get on with the task at hand.

Timers work particularly well for big tasks without an obvious end point, like clearing your emails. You might not be able to face getting through the whole backlog at once – but spending fifteen focused minutes every day will go a long way to clearing it.

Studying More Effectively

If you’re in school or working towards a qualification, you’ll be spending at least some of your time studying. Your brain can’t focus on learning for hours on end – experts think that it’s best to concentrate for between 25 and 45 minutes, then take a break to recharge.

Next time you sit down to study, try setting a timer for thirty minutes. It’s a lot easier to stay focused and motivated when you know you have a break coming up.

Getting Through Chores

I hate doing chores, and often end up putting them off – which only means they end up being more of a pain! You might well feel the same. One technique that works really well is to spend just five to fifteen minutes on something – it’s surprising how much you can get done. Even I can just about stand to clean the kitchen for ten minutes!

FlyLady popularized the idea of using a fifteen minute timer to tackle chores, and hosts of fans around the internet testify to the effectiveness of this.

All we ask is that you set a timer and spend 15 minutes a day decluttering. That’s it. Anyone can do anything for only 15 minutes, even if you have to break it down into 5 minutes segments.

(Declutter 15 Minutes a Day – 5 Great Tools That Make it Easy! on FlyLady.net)

Limiting Your Procrastination

We all need to take breaks in order to remain productive. The problem is, it’s all too easy for a twenty-minute break to turn into two hours of browsing the net and giggling at pictures of cats with silly captions.

When you decide it’s time for a break, set a timer. Give yourself around ten – twenty minutes, depending on what you feel you need. Once that alarm goes off, get straight back on track with your next task. (It helps if you’ve made up your mind what to do next before taking your break.)

Making Phone Calls

How often have you been on the phone with someone for far longer than you meant to? It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re chatting, only to realize that a whole hour’s gone by. If you’re making a call, set a timer going (preferably one which has a silent alert, like a pop-up on the screen). Once the alarm goes off, you’ll be reminded to draw the conversation to a close.

If you’re conducting an interview by phone, this is also a good technique to make sure you don’t have to keep one eye on the clock – you can chat away with your full focus on the conversation, and when your alarm goes off to tell you there’s five or ten minutes to go, you can draw things to a close.

Have you tried using a timer to improve your productivity? How did it work out for you?

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  • http://www.tohami.com M. A. Tohami

    Hi,

    In addition to your nice tip, we should take care of the importance of doing quality work in the end. Don’t let a timer rush you to finish the task in hand with poor quality.

    Another thing…

    “It is more difficult to move an object that is completely at rest than it is to guide one that is already in motion.” – GENE GRIESSMAN

    The timer tactic is a great way to get you in motion and build your momentum.

    Thanks for the great post.

    Regards,
    Tohami
    Bestselling author of “The Pharaohs’ Code: Creating a Joyful Life and a Lasting Legacy”

  • http://ticktocktimer.com Bamboo Forest – Tick Tock Timer

    Hi Ali. Really appreciate you including ‘Tick Tock Timer’ into this very useful article.

    You’ve included all excellent ways to use a timer to help one be more productive in less painful ways.

  • http://www.unformation.net Ben

    I love this idea, especially for phone calls. I’m very chatty and can ramble on for hours which is great for friends but less good for professional conversations.

    For procrastination, I’m not sure. I know what I’m like, it’d be like the snooze function on my alarm clock. Just another 10 minutes…

    You reminded me of the idea that people can be ‘in the zone’ at different times of the day. You might be more creative between 8 and 10 than you are in the evenings for example. I can see that using a timer to regulate yourself then would be awesome.

    I’m actually writing about procrastination on my blog. I’d really welcome your contributions… http://unformation.net/2010/08/how-do-i-fight-procrastination/

  • http://ticktocktimer.com Bamboo Forest – Tick Tock Timer

    I agree, but I actually think a timer would increase the quality of your work by increasing your focus. If you didn’t finish, you can always set the timer again and go for another 30 minutes.

  • http://www.virginbloggernotes.com Jean Sarauer

    I’ve been using timers for projects for several months now and it’s the cure for my distraction issues. I work best in 20 minute intervals when I’m writing with a 5 minute break in between sessions. It’s amazing to me how much can be accomplished with full focus!

  • http://pointersforlife.blogspot.com Kevin Wilfley

    There are two kinds of people in life: people who don’t use timers and people who wish other people used timers! I have a love/hate relationship with timers. They definitely help me, just as you suggested, in balancing my life to become more productive. I just don’t like being told what to do unless its something like recess, break time, or dinner time. :) Great blog. Thanks.

  • http://blog.daytimer.com Jeff@Daytimer

    I’ve used e.ggtimer.com at work and have found it to be quite effective, especially when used in conjuction with a “time-boxing” task management system. Schedule your task time in units, and stick to them religiously.

  • http://lookingtobusiness.com Daniel M. Wood

    A great tip, this is something I use a lot myself.
    I am always working under the pressure of time either it is alarm clocks or deadlines always with the promise of freedom (Taking some time off) once I am done.

    It has made me a lot more efficient.

    I just sent your article to my wife who is a writer, as she is writing a book you don’t always have those clear cut deadlines, it’s more like “in 6 months I need to have finished 10 chapters” there is no time pressure.
    (not that she doesn’t work well now, she probably works harder than I do)

    But creating smaller deadlines for her might really help.

  • JMac

    I’ve been looking for a vibrating watch
    with multiple alarms and countdown
    timers. Anyone have a good resource
    for these? They all seem to be
    “monster” watches so far. Or maybe
    there is a watch designer/company that would
    sees the audience and wants to work
    on a prototype with me?

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    [...] 5 Ways Timers Can Help You Be More Productive  – Offers the idea that you can dramatically improve productivity by using a timer. [Pick the Brain] [...]

  • http://www.personal-powerpack.com Doug Cartwright

    Great reminder. I’ve got a book called Overcoming Procrastination now which recommends doing stuff in bursts of 30 minutes. I can’t speak for others but it works for me AND I’ve started to get rid of the puritan work ethic and understand that one or two quality decisions a day can be worth 50 rubbish ones….!

  • http://www.hypnosis-self-help.com/PastLifeRegression.html Sherri Frost

    I’m a big fan of Flylady and as a result have been using a timer for several years now. I use it to get motivated to begin any undesirable task. When I know there is a limit to how much time I have to spend it seems more bearable. Inevitably, once the momentum has begun I keep rolling after the timer rings. I think it’s because of the intense focus on the task at hand.

    I even bought one for my daughter to help her clean her room and do her homework. Cleaning the room is doable when you only have to do it for 15 minutes.

  • http://mrpant.com/multi-tasking-a-skill/ Mr Pant » Blog Archive » Multi-tasking: A skill?

    [...] 5 Ways Timers Can Help You Be More Productive (pickthebrain.com) [...]

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  • Luis Perez

    Agreed I’d also like to recommend the timer http://ipadstopwatch.com/timer.html