Given my experience of time scarcity yesterday and my upcoming year of grad school and internship that starts next week, I’ve been thinking lately about how I can level up my productivity.

This morning I discovered a productivity tool that I’d heard of but have never learned and applied:
Time Boxing.
Also known as, Time Blocking.

This morning I dove into some videos and articles on it to self-educate so I can start applying it immediately. Getting good at this productivity tool will be a top focus for me this week.

The basic method is to sit down with a list of prioritized tasks for the day and the time available in the day. Estimate how much time each task may take (pro tip: over-estimate by a smidge).
Then, in order of priority, schedule time for the tasks, adding a 5-10 minute break between blocks.
Do this in between appointments, meetings, meals, and anything else that’s a set commitment in the day.

Another good tip I found is to try not blocking more than 45 to 60 minutes per tasking session if its a task done sitting down at a desk or using a lot of brain power. The rationale there is our minds get fatigued after around 45-60minutes of being sedentary and in intense focus. A break is refreshing for the mind and body, and keeps productivity higher by making us more effective. Last tip is block out meals if they don’t have a set start and end time.

So that’s the method. There’s lots of articles and YouTube videos about it. If you want to learn more just google time boxing or time blocking.

I’m going to practice implementing it this week and will treat it like an experiment. I might blog about it around next Sunday to reflect on how it went.