Time Management

Productivity

24 Jun

Time is limited and super precious. We all have 24 hours in a day - yet some make better use of it than others. Yet we ALWAYS seem to end up saying to ourselves ‘I don’t have time’.

As much as I tell myself that it’s an excuse, (see my previous blog post ‘The Early Bird Gets Stuff Done’), I still do believe there is a way to better prioritize and utilize our time. If these ultra productive folks can do it, so can we! In this post, I’d love to share how and what systems and methods I personally use to focus my time and energy efficiently!

How I use Google Calendar for Intentional Scheduling

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn

Before I joined Google, I never used a calendar to keep track of things. Since joining, I’ve sworn by the Google calendar app to run my work life. I use it to systematically organize my time - whether it be for meetings with other Googlers, or for work tasks I set out to do. Unknowingly, this has helped me stay extremely organized, and I’ve even incorporated my to-do list into this!

I used to have TONS of to-do lists lying around everywhere. Random post-its, notes on the computer (sometimes in more than 1 app), more to-do lists on my phone, scribblings in my notebook… these were large chunk of lists that I had to knock out of the way to get things done. I had basically written down whatever I had to do so that I wouldn’t forget - but as these piled up, it started to get a quite overwhelming and messy! It was hard for me to prioritize what was important and what I had to do first.

So I came up with my own system of organizing and scheduling my tasks:

I categorize the notes / lists into the same series of events and sort them by due date
I set aside 1/2 hour - 1 hour of my work day to get the task done - it usually looks like this: ‘DNS: WORKING TIME FOR [TASK]’ on calendar
I put my to-do list into the meeting descriptions (adding links in for reference to certain documents if required), so I know exactly what to do when the scheduled time comes around. No further thinking, or scrambling for notes required!

Scheduling a chunk of time in my calendar helps because:

People will not end up disturbing me doing my working time (they won’t put in meetings). Even if they do, they consciously know they are ‘disturbing’ me.
I have already designated the right amount of time aside get the task done!

I find that this method works for me most of the time. When I do get a random ping or urgent request I have to attend to, I just move that calendar invite to another empty 1/2 hour slot to get it done. Your information doesn’t get lost, plus if you ever have to refer back to the week before to look for notes - it’s all there!

I use the calendar app so often (and since it’s worked out so well), I’ve also been scheduling my personal life, intentionally setting aside time for exercise, meetings with friends, dentist appointments etc. Even for writing articles and my weekly email newsletter, I set aside time every week in my calendar so it keeps me both organized and accountable to myself. Most importantly, it takes the stress off my mind of needing to endlessly worry about missing deadlines or appointments.

I honestly don’t know how I managed to live without a calendar before!

So we’ve spoken about how to intentionally schedule time. Here are another 2 methods on how you can effectively use and focus your time!

Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allocated to it.

We humans are terrible with time management, and we LOVE procrastinating for any given reason. Give us 3 months to finish an assignment or project, we’ll wait till the very last minute to get it done. That’s me speaking from personal experience - I was always pulling an all nighter before an assignment was due. Somehow I’ve always managed to finish it in time and handed it in just minutes before the deadline!

Since work will always expand to fill the time we allocate to it, I always go for the 1/2 hour slot instead of a 1 hour slot - whenever I schedule in time to complete tasks.

Allocate stuff in shorter time frames - you’ll tend to get things done in that period of time!

Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro technique, kinda sounds like a tomato sauce doesn’t it? Fun fact, the inventor of the technique named the system after a tomato-shaped timer he was using!

The Pomodoro technique is mentioned widely in the productivity and time-management world: basically, all you need is a timer to execute this!

Cirillo noticed that when faced with large tasks or a series of assignments, we’re able to be most effective if we break the work down into short, timed intervals (called “Pomodoros”) which are spaced out by short breaks.
In essence, it is a cyclical system based around working in short bursts of 25 minutes with intermittent breaks, of 5 minutes, which can help to improve motivation, creativity and efficiency. - Ali Abdaal

Does this work for me? No. Personally, I find a 1/2 hour too short for me. By the time 25 minutes rolls around, I’ve just gotten into my rhythm of focusing on the task. For me the sweet spot is about 45 - 50 minutes - I find that I’m in a flow state of just getting things done, while listening to my spotify instrumental playlist which I have been curating :) (Yes, cheeky plug there!)

I also use the app called ‘Forest’ - it acts as a pomodoro timer, but focus times can be adjustable from 5 mins to 1 hour). Everytime you are able to ‘focus’ for a certain period of time, you are successfully able to plant a virtual tree and grow a virtual garden! You’re even able to help plant a real tree if you trade in enough points :)

Check it out here!

Sorted

For those geeky nerds out there, there is a new scheduling / to-do list app called ‘Sorted’. It’s beautifully made (sorry, it’s only for IOS folks :P) and I love the way the app incorporates capturing and organizing information together with scheduling tasks. There are many thoughtful features built into this, and the developers are even currently building one for the macOS platform. I’ve been using this for 7 days on the free trial, but am pretty sure I will be buying the app. I have always been searching for a good note-taking / organizer app, and this one ticks all the boxes! It’s simple to use, organizes things efficiently and it’s aesthetically pleasing - I am just extremely pleased at the amount of thought and detail that has gone into making this app.

Check it out here! For those who are interested, you can try the app for 14 days for free to see if you enjoy using it :)

Conclusion

Be intentional with your time by scheduling your time using a calendar! Doing so will make you more efficient and you’ll be able to get more out of your work day.
Use both Parkinson’s Law and the Pomodoro technique to help you effectively use / focus your time. Remember these are just guidelines - make sure you do what works for you!
Lastly, prioritize what’s truly important to you. Besides work, make sure you are intentionally prioritizing time for yourself and your well being! Remember to schedule time for you to work on the things you love, for exercise, and most importantly, for spending time with family and friends who care about you.

Finally, I came across this article‘How To Achieve Your 10-Year Plan In The Next 6 Months’ which I found to be a very interesting and inspiring read. I resonated with it quite a fair bit. Have a read if you have some time!