Time boxing is a simple technique of proactively allocating time for important work, personal, and social activities. It makes great excuses like “if I’d only have time…” obsolete. I adopted and adapted this technique from J.D. Meier. He explains it in his great post here - How To Use Time Boxing for Getting Results
These are examples where time boxing rocked my world
Myself. At some point in my life I realized I spend less time with my kids and wife, I spend less time for personal development like sports and reading. I did wanted to do it all but “I did not have time for that”. What a nonsense!! I have exactly the same time that everybody has – 24 hours. All I needed to make sure what I want to spend time for and how much. And so I did. I figured out what I want to do the most and I started allocating time proactively on weekly basis. I am consultant and my work achievements are measured by invested billing hours. Proactively allocating the time I know how good or bad my work performance is, should I expect troubles with my manager or find “Thank you for great job” email in my Inbox. Mixing my personal activities with work ones helps me building realistic work/life balance, prevents me from burnouts, creates anticipation for results vs. fire alarms. It removes stress completely.
Family. Time boxing helped me to get closer to my two daughters. I become true parent finally. I enjoy spending time with them and they enjoy it too. I know that – they just tell me so. I think the punch line is my wife’s recurrent “Honey, is everything OK with your work? I see you too much home”. My stretch goal is hearing complaints of this kind only.
Customers. The biggest challenge with customers I think is earning trust. Time boxing helps here a lot. Proactively blocking time for customers activities helps delivering incremental deliverables. The customers like seeing constant progress. They also like when you send an update email or make a phone call versus chasing you just to hear “ahh… ehm… I did not have time for that yet, may be next week, or month…”. There is another part – telling customer proactively “I cannot do it” up front gets you even more trust credits. I am sometimes over motivated to tell customer “Yes” just because I do not want to lose the opportunity. I regret a lot afterward since I just do not have allocated time to complete the work I’ve just committed. Time boxing approach helps me either identify available time or shuffle current time boxes to make one. Or tell the customer – “Can’t do it, sorry”.
Colleagues. Building healthy team is essential. One of the health checks one needs to make is team collaboration and sharing level. While there are plenty ways to share among the team, interpersonal communications are vital. Time boxing is of help here too. On one hand I refrain from coming to the offices – I am paid to do billable time. Being in the office does not earn my company no money, I am less beloved thus. I am beloved by my company when in the field with the customers. Frankly, this is what I love doing. What a match! On other hand I proactively block specific time boxes to come to the offices to make personal connections with my colleagues, building my network, strengthening the connections. Why? In the moment of truth I can count on them, and they can count on me. I doubt it would be the same if the only thing we know of each other was email address.
Reports. Timely reviews are essential to make sure the work is getting done, and morale is up. Progress status can be obtained via informal talks or sporadically calling reports. This is not effective and efficient. It is stressful too. When specific time is allocated in timely basis it becomes a habit to either parties. Less time spend for preparation, for meeting itself, and then for the follow-ups. My basic agenda is: “what’s good”, “what’s bad”, “action items”, “personal asks”.
Managers. Same as with reports only up the chain. If the manager has the habit of timely focused meetings – good for you, if not – train her. Show the downside of not doing timely and focused progress meetings. Downside to either party. See Reports part in this post.
Sounds easy? It is. The trick is practicing it rigorously until it becomes a habit.
Even before you finish one project, the next one is already waiting for you, because the first one creates the conditions in which the second one will emerge. So, time for family and yourself cannot be found. You have to take the time. Regard this time just as you would a religious holiday…
… Work always creates more work. It never, ever ends. You must take rest when the seventh day arrives. Period. - Ichak Adizes
…and you must stop using excuses. Start proactively allocating time – JUST DO IT!
3 comments ↓
I like the idea of ‘boxing’ time. I’ll try it out!
I loved Tim’s book too.
[...] take is that Time Boxing Is The Biggest Secret For Achieving Results. “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You [...]
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