In the past I've wasted too much time working on any given task.
Parkinson's law states work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
Without a definite deadline, what could take 30 mins to complete takes 2 hours instead.
Then a few years ago, I started to timebox ⏳ every single task.
And my productivity has increased significantly since then.
E.g. If I want to complete a task in 45 mins, I'd set a countdown of 45 mins and start the timer.
Timebox is even more helpful when there are a lot of distractions — e.g. when you're trying to do work on social media.
If you're not careful, you'll end up saying, "how come I've been here for 2 hours already and haven't made any progress?"
Do you timebox your task?
“how come I've been here for 2 hours already and haven't made any progress?"
Yep! I know that feeling.
Organizing my days by theme, time blocking every day (5-hour workday), and setting AND holding to a schedule changed everything for me.
I rarely find myself aimlessly jumping between tasks. Work actually gets completed and pushed. I can actually feel and prove progress is being made. And I have WAY more free time than I thought possible.
Good to hear it's working for you. Timeboxing is key!