Just 7 percent of American workers say that they feel productive during working hours. We can guess that the rest struggle to get things done.
You may have a long list of things to do. And yet, you get constantly distracted and never complete every task by the end of the day.
Are you desperate for another way of getting things done? Check out this blog to explore how time chunking could help you be more productive in your day.
1. What is Time Chunking? #
You may think you can actually multi-task constantly. Just get everything done all at the same time.
However, researchers at Stanford University have found that this doesn’t work. In fact, people who try to multitask could even impair their cognitive control.
But, that doesn’t mean that you need to slowly tackle one task at one time. You can adopt the time chunking method instead.
Rather than reading emails, answering the phone and cooking dinner at the same time, you chunk similar activities together.
For example, you could have a bunch of social media tasks to do today. You should chunk that by doing them all in the same slot of your schedule.
2. Keep Your Objective in Mind #
When you’re tackling a task, you could quickly forget why you’re doing it. Just ensure that you’re reminded of your goal all of the time.
If you don’t remain goal-oriented, you could end up getting distracted by people’s requests for your attention or checking the news.
The goal may not need enough. You could need to give yourself more incentives to motivate yourself to keep going.
3. Planning the Chunks in Your Schedule #
It may not always be obvious which tasks can be “chunked” together. That’s why it’s so important to plan before you get started.
Once you have created your time chunks, you may have a few miscellaneous tasks. You can simply put these together at the end as a time chunk.
Then, you need to create a schedule to determine when you’re going to achieve your tasks. You can use blocks of time in your calendar to ensure that you get everything done.
4. Learn to Stay Focused #
Time chunking only works if you can focus. The constant checking of our smartphones has undermined our capacity to concentrate.
Wearing headphones or going somewhere quiet can help to avoid other people talking to you when you’re doing your tasks.
If you don’t need the internet for your task, turn off your computer and smartphone. They will only distract you further.
Time Chunking #
Don’t confuse being busy all the time with actually getting things done. You’re not productive because you’re always working on tasks.
The time chunking method can help you to improve your results and get more done quicker. Now you know how it works!
Do you want to explore more ways that you can be more productive? Check out our blog with much more.
