There are five problems with the to-do list.
· First, they overwhelm us with too many choices.
· Second, we are naturally drawn to simpler tasks which are more easily accomplished.
· Third, we are rarely drawn to important-but-not-urgent tasks, like setting aside time for learning.
· Fourth, to-do lists on their own lack the essential context of what time you have available.
· Fifth, they lack a commitment device, to keep us honest.
Timeboxing
What is timeboxing?
Timeboxing is a simple time management technique that involves allotting a fixed, maximum unit of time for an activity in advance, and then complete the activity within that time frame.
The concept was first introduced by James Martin, the author of the book Rapid Application Development, as a part of agile software development.
In gist, timeboxing is a time management technique where you allocate a fixed time period to a planned activity. You work on the activity during the fixed time period and stop working on it once the time is up – then, you assess whether you’ve reached your planned goals.
Why timeboxing?
First, timeboxing into a calendar enables the relative positioning of work. If you know that a promotional video has to go live on a Tuesday and that the production team needs 72 hours to work on your copy edits, then you know when to place the timebox. In fact, you know where to place the timebox: it’s visual, intuitive, obvious. Working hard and trying your best is sometimes not actually what’s required; the alternative — getting the right thing done at the right time — is a better outcome for all.
Second, the practice enables you to communicate and collaborate more effectively. If all of your critical work (and maybe just all of your work, period) is in your calendar, colleagues can see it. So not only are you more likely to plan your work to accommodate others’ schedules (the paragraph above), others are able to check that your work schedule works for them.
Third, it gives you a comprehensive record of what you’ve done. Maybe you get to the end of a blistering week and you’re not even sure what happened? It’s in your calendar.
Fourth, you will feel more in control. This is especially important because control (aka volition, autonomy, etc.) may be the biggest driver of happiness at work. Constant interruptions make us less happy and less productive. Timeboxing is the proper antidote to this. You decide what to do and when to do it, block out all distractions for that timeboxed period, and get it done.
Fifth, you will be substantially more productive. Parkinson’s law flippantly states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Although it’s not really a law (it’s more of a wry observation), most of us would concede that there is some truth to it (especially as it pertains to meetings). A corollary of this observation in practice is that we often spend more time on a task than we should, influenced by the time that happens to be available (circumstantial) rather than how long the work should really take (objective). Disciplined timeboxing breaks us free of Parkinson’s law by imposing a sensible, finite time for a task and sticking to that.
Eisenhower Matrix
Dwight D. Eisenhower — five-star general during World War II and 34th president of the United States — was a productive guy.
During his two terms as president of the United States, he led the construction of the Interstate Highway System, created NASA, signed into law the first major piece of civil rights legislation since the end of the Civil War, ended the Korean War, welcomed Alaska and Hawaii into the union, and managed to keep the Cold War with Russia cold.
He understood the fundamental difference between the Urgent and the Important. In a 1954 speech, Eisenhower quoted an unnamed university president who said, “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”
In his best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey repackaged Eisenhower’s insights into a simple tool to prioritize tasks, now known as the Eisenhower Matrix (also known as The Time Management Matrix, The Eisenhower Box, The Eisenhower Method, and The Urgent-Important Matrix).
Try the Eisenhower Matrix if you…
Find yourself running around putting out fires all day (figuratively speaking)
Are busy but don’t feel like your work has a high impact
Have long-term goals but no time or energy to make progress on them
Have a hard time delegating and/or saying no
Where Did the 5/25 Rule Come From? Inspired by Warren Buffet’s Pilot.
The origin of this pro-prioritizing rule isn’t totally agreed upon; it’s most likely something that business magnate Buffett has incorporated throughout his career.
With that being said, public knowledge of the 5/25 rule sprung from a conversation between Buffett and his personal pilot, Mike Flint.
Having previously flown four presidents in Air Force One, Flint knew a little about the uber-successful, so it seems natural that he would be curious about their secrets. As Flint’s account goes, he was discussing his career with Buffett, who promptly instructed him to write down 25 professional priorities. As soon as Flint had done so, Buffett told him to then circle the 5 most important items.
Scrupulously perusing the list, Flint eventually had his top 5 career goals circled. In effect, this presidential pilot now had two lists: the list of 25, the B-list, and the top 5 goals, the A-list. Catching on quickly, Flint reassured Buffett that the A-list would be his primary focus. When asked what he would do with the B-list, Flint replied that he would commit some time and energy to the others, as he deemed appropriate.
“No. You’ve got it wrong, Mike,” Buffett is quoted as saying, “Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Cost list.”
Perplexed, Flint asked for clarification. Buffett concisely told his dear friend that, if he was seriously interested in achieving these career goals, he must give zero attention to the B-list, working towards the 5, not the 25. Upon completing his top goals, Flint could repeat the process, adding new goals to the B-list, from which a new A-list would be created.