Talk:Time Management

From SandboxWiki

The rule of 48

I learned this helpful trick a while back and it truly helps me stay focused for short amounts of time, and in turn, I get much more accomplished. There have been variations on this rule (the rule of 45, 50, etc.), but 48 works for me.

The idea is that you set blocks of time where you work on a specific task. There may be more than one task, but overall you do only that "thing" during the 48 minutes. At the end of 48 minutes, stop, take a break from what you're doing. Some people choose to check email or voicemail during this time, wihch to me is still work. I choose to actually walk away from work, get a cup of coffee, and allow my mind to slow down. Take this "break" for 12 minutes, then return to work. You can continue on the same task or start a new one. There was a reason classes in school are limited to ~50 minutes.

This is repeated throughout the day, and what you'll find is that knowing you have to "break" in 48 minutes, your focus will be much more concentrated during this time.

I manage the 48 minutes with a web-based timer at: http://timberfrog.com/countdown/. You can set the alarm you want and the amount of time, then minimize the window. When your time is up, the alarm will sound and you can stop working. Any timer will do, I just find this one is easy to manage and requires only your web browser.

I hope this tip helps, and I track many more ideas on productivity and time management on our blog, http://www.EfficientExecutive.com.

Curtis Hughes
StreamLogic Inc.
http://www.StreamLogicInc.com
http://www.EfficientExecutive.com