There's nothing worse than staring blankly at your computer screen, with no idea how to finish a big project.Did you know there's actually an effective way to prevent that from happening? It's called "time blocking" and it's one of the best tools for making sure the time you spend working is productive.It's All About Cycles.Tony Schwartz, author of The Power of Full Engagement, talks about people as being "oscillatory beings in an oscillatory universe." What he means by that is that our energy flows in natural cycles of about ninety to one-hundred-twenty minutes.Eben Pagan, an enormously successful entrepreneur, carries this concept further in his "Wake Up Productive" products.He teaches his clients the art of time blocking in order to get more done.What these men have learned is that the secret to getting things done is to capture that cycle of energy.Does that simply mean working as hard as we can for a couple of hours at a stretch? No, there's actually a more productive way to get things done.Here's how to harness your energy effectively..• Use a timer.To help stay focused on the task at hand, set a timer for forty-five minutes.That's a reasonable block of time to work productively.• No distractions.During that block of time, turn off the distractions.No television, email, cell phone or chatting with friends.Give what you're working on your total focus until the timer sounds.• Take a break.Break up the blocks of time in which you're focusing with short breaks.After forty-five minutes, get up and walk around for five minutes.Get something to drink.But don't jump into another task or project, and stay away from those distractions we mentioned!• Jump back in.After a short break, set the timer for another forty-five minutes.This allows you to capture that optimum ninety minute cycle of productive energy.Work straight through until the timer sounds again, then get up and walk away.• Rest.After focusing completely on the task at hand for a full oscillatory cycle, it's time to rest a bit.Take a walk outside, lie down for a nap or eat a snack.A twenty minute break will refresh your mind and body and prepare you for another ninety minute block of productive work.• Repeat.You'll have to decide how many hour and a half to two hour time blocks you can manage in a day.Commit yourself to focusing completely on work, with appropriate breaks, for that many blocks of time, then stop working.Really.There's no point in staring at a computer screen or trying to be creative when you've moved beyond your natural energy cycle.Working Less, Doing More.It may seem contradictory, but you really will accomplish more in two or three ninety minute blocks of totally focused time than you used to accomplish in a full work day.Here's the paradox. working less time with complete focus nets more productivity than hours of unfocused struggling.You may be saying to yourself, "But aren't we supposed to be able to multitask?" It may sound ideal, being able to do a dozen things at once, but the truth is that when you focus on one thing, you do it well, in less time.And this doesn't just apply to big projects.Use time blocking to get emails answered, phone calls returned or proposals written.Anything that needs to be done can be done better with your complete focus for short blocks of time.So, are you ready to work less and accomplish more? Incorporate time blocking into your schedule and see for yourself how much more productive you become.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Time Blocking - The Secret to Greater Productivity
There's nothing worse than staring blankly at your computer screen, with no idea how to finish a big project.Did you know there's actually an effective way to prevent that from happening? It's called "time blocking" and it's one of the best tools for making sure the time you spend working is productive.It's All About Cycles.Tony Schwartz, author of The Power of Full Engagement, talks about people as being "oscillatory beings in an oscillatory universe." What he means by that is that our energy flows in natural cycles of about ninety to one-hundred-twenty minutes.Eben Pagan, an enormously successful entrepreneur, carries this concept further in his "Wake Up Productive" products.He teaches his clients the art of time blocking in order to get more done.What these men have learned is that the secret to getting things done is to capture that cycle of energy.Does that simply mean working as hard as we can for a couple of hours at a stretch? No, there's actually a more productive way to get things done.Here's how to harness your energy effectively..• Use a timer.To help stay focused on the task at hand, set a timer for forty-five minutes.That's a reasonable block of time to work productively.• No distractions.During that block of time, turn off the distractions.No television, email, cell phone or chatting with friends.Give what you're working on your total focus until the timer sounds.• Take a break.Break up the blocks of time in which you're focusing with short breaks.After forty-five minutes, get up and walk around for five minutes.Get something to drink.But don't jump into another task or project, and stay away from those distractions we mentioned!• Jump back in.After a short break, set the timer for another forty-five minutes.This allows you to capture that optimum ninety minute cycle of productive energy.Work straight through until the timer sounds again, then get up and walk away.• Rest.After focusing completely on the task at hand for a full oscillatory cycle, it's time to rest a bit.Take a walk outside, lie down for a nap or eat a snack.A twenty minute break will refresh your mind and body and prepare you for another ninety minute block of productive work.• Repeat.You'll have to decide how many hour and a half to two hour time blocks you can manage in a day.Commit yourself to focusing completely on work, with appropriate breaks, for that many blocks of time, then stop working.Really.There's no point in staring at a computer screen or trying to be creative when you've moved beyond your natural energy cycle.Working Less, Doing More.It may seem contradictory, but you really will accomplish more in two or three ninety minute blocks of totally focused time than you used to accomplish in a full work day.Here's the paradox. working less time with complete focus nets more productivity than hours of unfocused struggling.You may be saying to yourself, "But aren't we supposed to be able to multitask?" It may sound ideal, being able to do a dozen things at once, but the truth is that when you focus on one thing, you do it well, in less time.And this doesn't just apply to big projects.Use time blocking to get emails answered, phone calls returned or proposals written.Anything that needs to be done can be done better with your complete focus for short blocks of time.So, are you ready to work less and accomplish more? Incorporate time blocking into your schedule and see for yourself how much more productive you become.
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