Timeboxing: How to Use a Timer to Beat Procrastination

What is timeboxing?

Timeboxing means giving a task a fixed amount of time, rather than working on it until it is done. You decide in advance that you will spend 30 minutes on your inbox, or 45 minutes on a first draft, and you stop when the time is up.

It sounds simple, but it changes how you approach work. The question shifts from "how do I finish this?" to "what is the best I can do in 30 minutes?". That is a much easier question to answer, and much easier to start.

Why it helps

There is an old observation, known as Parkinson's Law after the historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson, that work expands to fill the time available. Give yourself all afternoon for a report and it will take all afternoon. Give yourself an hour and you often find a way to get the important parts done.

A timer also helps with the hardest part of most tasks, which is starting. Committing to a short, clear block of time feels manageable in a way that "write the report" does not.

Five techniques to try

1. The five minute rule. Tell yourself you only have to work on the task for five minutes. Start a 5 minute timer. When it ends you can stop, but often you will keep going.
2. The two minute rule. Popularised by productivity writer David Allen: if something takes less than two minutes, do it now rather than adding it to a list.
3. Timeboxing. Give each task on your list a fixed block, such as 30 or 45 minutes, and schedule them in your day.
4. Sprints. Short, intense bursts of 10 to 15 minutes on one small piece of work, with a quick break after each.
5. The Pomodoro Technique. 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of rest, repeated. See the Pomodoro guide for the details.

How to timebox your day

1. List the tasks you want to get done.
2. Estimate a realistic time for each, and round up.
3. Put the most important or hardest task first, when your energy is highest.
4. Block the time in your calendar, including breaks.
5. Work through the blocks with a timer running for each one.
6. When a block ends, stop, note where you got to, and move on.
7. At the end of the day, compare your estimates with reality and adjust next time.

Choosing the right block length

Ready-made timers: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes and 1 hour.

What to do when the timer ends and you are not finished

This is the part people find hardest. The honest answer is that it depends. If you are making good progress and the task matters, it can be fine to run another block. What matters is that you make the choice deliberately, rather than drifting.

If you keep running over, your estimates are probably too optimistic. That is useful information. Most people underestimate how long tasks take, so adding 25 to 50% to your first guess is often more realistic.

Common pitfalls

• Blocks that are too vague. "Work on project" is hard to start. "Draft the budget section" is easy.
• No breaks. Back-to-back blocks without rest lead to tiredness and mistakes.
• Checking messages inside a block. Keep a separate block for email and chat.
• Being too rigid. Timeboxing is a tool to help you, not a rule to feel guilty about.

Related timers and guides

• Countdown Timer: a countdown for any length of time
• 5 Minute Timer: a five minute starter
• The Pomodoro Technique: A Practical Guide: the Pomodoro Technique