Use a Timer to Boost Productivity

Whether you use the timer built into your mobile device, a simple kitchen timer or the Time Timer app, I have found a timer to be one of the most powerful tools in your productivity toolbox.

Maybe you are struggling with procrastination and simply cannot get started. Maybe you get easily distracted once you are working on something. Maybe you are overwhelmed by all that needs to be done and are drowning in what you're doing. No matter what is your productivity challenge, fully utilize timers to get more done and make every minute matter.

Get started on a "big, hairy, audacious" goal. When you are struggling to find the time do what needs to be done, it could be that you are looking at all the time needed for the entire task; however, setting a timer for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or, even, 30 minutes will get the ball rolling and, probably, give you a more realistic view of how long the entire action item will require.

Activity breeds activity. In the world of task management, working on any given task for a limited amount of time might propel you towards assigning it more time and, thereby, making more progress towards its completion. Further, working on a to-do item can energize you to get it done completely.

You can do anything for a short amount of time. If the task you have been avoiding is something you really do not want to do, knocking it out in shorter sessions of time can make it much less painful. When you envision something you truly dislike doing, it can be much less bad for a shorter time interval.

Stay on task. Particularly when creating content for social media posts, blogging, articles or books to write, client solutions and public speaking presentations, it is easy to get pulled away from the task at hand and run off on a tangent. Does "Oooo... Bright shiny thing!" or "chasing butterflies" sound familiar? If so, setting a timer for however long you would like to invest in any given task can keep you on track. Better yet, setting a timer for a shorter interval and repeating that for whatever number of times needed can empower you to stay on track until the task at hand is finished.

Shorter spans of effort energize greater results. If you have all afternoon to work on something, it is likely to take all afternoon; however, if you set a timer for a much shorter amount of time to complete the task, you will race to beat the clock. You are likely to get the task accomplished much more quickly, maybe even finishing the entire task in that shorter amount of time.

Do you utilize a timer to boost your focus and productivity? If so, what have been some of your greatest success stories? How can YOU use a timer for better results?