One Little Productivity Technique That Really Works

I accidentally stumbled upon an Elizabeth Wilson’s book “Stress-proof your life: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Taking Control”. There was one productivity technique that did not make any sense! I read it and thought, “Are you kidding me?! It contradicts any time-management or efficiency theory!” Not to mention that it sounds ridiculous to anyone, who believes that distractions and interruptions are the “ultimate evil” of our times and that you can only be productive if you work in uninterrupted blocks of time.

Fortunately, before making a final decision that this technique was the silliest thing I had ever heard, I decided to try it.

I am glad I did, because to my great surprise I finished most of the tasks on my to-do list in record time. And guess what? Thoughts like making a cup of tea, checking my emails once again, watching a video on youtube.com or chatting with my friends on Facebook, had not even crossed my mind!
If you are struggling with procrastination and regular productivity techniques do not work for you, this might be the perfect solution to your problem.

Here is how it works:

1. Make a list of the tasks you want to accomplish. This step is pretty obvious and most of us already do it every day. Yesterday I had 6 tasks on my to-do list that I could “play” with, but it was probably too much. I would recommend you start with 3-4 tasks. If there is a task that seems boring or that you do not feel like doing – definitely put it on the list (I will explain why this is important later)!

2. Download a stopwatch. If you do not have a stopwatch set one up on your computer, you can download one. Or if it seems like a lot of work, you can try the on-line version I was using.
Here is the link: http://www.timeme.com/timer-stopwatch.htm. It is very intuitive and incredibly easy to use!

3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and start working on the first item on your to-do list.

4. Go to the next task when the time is up. I know, 5 minutes is not nearly enough time to finish anything. But it is important that after the time is over, you immediately leave everything and move to the next task on your list. Even if you suddenly feel inspired. Even if you just need one more minute to finish. Even if you were really enjoying it. Quit working on this item, reset your timer and move to the next item. Do each of the tasks on your to-do list for 5 minutes!

5. After you are done, start from the beginning of your list again, only this time working on each item for 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes, then 20 minutes and so on, until you finish everything.
I know, it sounds crazy. I had exactly the same reaction when I first read it.

But let me explain you why it is so effective:

1. The first five minutes are not nearly enough time to get anything done and not being able to finish your tasks on time puts you in a state of slight frustration, which almost doubles your effort and productivity the next time, when you have 10 minutes.

2. As the clock is ticking, you become very efficient about any action that you take (which, in my case, eliminates about one third of the steps that I was taking before). I have noticed now that when I search for specific information on the internet, I do not get distracted so easily. I do not linger and it takes me about 2 seconds to decide if I want to keep reading an article or just close it.

3. You no longer procrastinate and put unpleasant or boring tasks at the bottom of your list. Knowing that you will work on it just for 5 minutes is a great relief!

4. As strange as it may sound, you get less distracted, because it is really easy to stay concentrated on a task for just 5 or 10 minutes.

5. It boosts your desire to finish what you have started. Psychological studies demonstrate that we experience emotional discomfort every time we have to leave a task unfinished. You have probably noticed how hard it is to stop reading an interesting book or an article right in the middle of a sentence? Before putting a book down, we feel almost an unexplainable need to finish the sentence, paragraph or read till the end of the chapter. Having to leave the task as soon as we hear the “time is up” beep has the same effect on us – we feel an unexplainable need to finish what we have started (even if initially we did not feel like doing it).

Of course, there are certain tasks that cannot be broken down into 5 or 10 minute chunks, but in most cases, this technique really allows you to get everything done much faster!

Try it and tell me what you think!

Did it work for you? Or do you prefer the regular productivity and time-management techniques?

Tags: boost productivity advice, get things done, improve focus, productivity technique, tips to get more done