Time Management Part 1: The Art of Time Boxing

Ever feel like you have five billion tasks you need to get done and only 24 hours to do them? One of the biggest internal struggles for high achievers and go-getters is juggling ideas and innovation that pull you in 360 different directions against sitting down and focusing on a single task for a designated period of time. 

My solution?...adopt the practice of Time Boxing. While there are those who thrive off of chaos and the unpredictable, there are numerous studies that show the benefit of having a designated daily routine.

Scenario 1:

You're sitting down to finish a work assignment but as you do, you realize you have to return an email to a professor, you need to finish your component of the group presentation then practice said presentation, you have to arrange time to have a coffee chat with a recruiter for the job you want, you need to finish and submit that application for a merit scholarship. Oh! And on top of these you need to go grocery shopping, clean your dorm, and do your laundry.

Now you can't fully concentrate on this important work assignment due tomorrow because there are about 15 other tasks you need to finish today!

Scenario 2:

You're sitting down to finish a work assignment. You've estimated and allotted 3 hours in your afternoon to complete it. As you settle into your desk, you turn off all your social notifications and get to work. Before you know it, your timer buzzes and your well-planned out calender reminds you that you have a one-on-one with your professor in 15 minutes. After that you already know you have a group presentation practice session scheduled at your college library.

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Scenario 2 demonstrates the power of creating an effective calendar and time management system so that we can maximize our efficient thinking abilities. It gives you the freedom and ease of focusing on one project rather than using stress and impatience to just tick of a to-do list. 

So here are my tips for a Time Boxing Strategy

(7) Use "All-day" Events As Deadline Reminders

We can get caught up in the day-to-day activities and suddenly a midterm, final project, or presentation deadline is upon us! How'd it sneak up so fast? I use "all day events" as a reminder of upcoming deadlines.

• You can put D-3, D-2, D-1 to indicate days till a certain event
• If an event is not set in time yet, place it in the all-day events to remind yourself to follow-up with the organizer for more details

(8) Fill In the Details

What is fantastic about a lot of calendar programs is the ability to add notes without having to create a very long and illegible title. Especially in a virtual environment, it's nice to have a zoom link or video meeting link ready on hand embedded within your calendar event. Include

• Reminders of tasks you should have done or things to have prepared
• meeting invite information including the link, meeting code, and password
• name of attendees you should know names of
• file links if online

(9) Do it Once in the Beginning Then Maintain Weekly

Before each semester of classes begins, I like to set aside 30 minutes to create a calendar of my classes, organizations, and to-dos. This allows me to have a clear sense of my objectives for the semester. Moreover, rather than having to set aside 30 minutes every week to plan out the next, I can quickly brush it over Sunday night and make minute adjustments as needed.

• Being Proactive is the Key to Being Productive

(9) Have Fun with It

Remember the end goal of scheduling is to provide ease and convenience. The goal is to remove unnecessary white-noise from your critical thinking and enable you to fully focus on tasks at hand for designated periods of time. Over the course of two weeks, you'll find that your body naturally falls into a rhythm. The consequence...less stress, less mindless thinking, greater productivity!