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?
Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!
Related Articles:
Time is All We Have: 3 Ways To Increase The Return On Investment
How To Find Time For New Habits
Erin shows overscheduled, overwhelmed women how to do less so that they can achieve more. Traditional productivity books—written by men—barely touch the tangle of cultural pressures that women feel when facing down a to-do list. How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest.
have a sex
Success thought u have shared.
Cheap Generic Valtrex Online GorryPak [url=https://xbuycheapcialiss.com/]buying cialis online reviews[/url] Cetarragging cialis online safe
ダッチワイフが生命のないロボット彫刻であった時代はもう過ぎ去り、それを使うのも面白くありませんでした。 しかし、時間と技術によって状況は変化し、今では男性に本物の女の子の感覚を与える超リアルなダッチワイフを手に入れることができます。 等身大ドール https://yourdoll.jp/product-category/150-159cm-love-doll/
After going over a handful of the blog posts on your web site, I honestly appreciate your way of blogging. Sex Doll Blog
MC33884DW is available. We are distributor of NXP Semiconductors / Freescale MC33884DW. Buy MC33884DW IC SWITCH SDI MONITOR 24-SOIC
Pingback: Declutter Your Home In One Weekend – Realtor Vandana
The best e-cigarette liquid site in Korea. Korea’s lowest-priced 전자담배 액상 사이트 e-cigarette liquid.
스모크밤058 스모크밤
에볼루션코리아
166cLuOPg$*-
에볼루션카지노
649yGhIAT{`(
에볼루션바카라
673xDFdok^;+
에볼루션룰렛
583JtzpSm*/>
에볼루션블랙잭040RGmYOn\”{
에볼루션카지노
617ZPhhnp->=