Timeboxing to Optimize Output

Timeboxing is a time management technique that has been proven to increase productivity.  This method allocates a fixed time period, called a time box, to each planned activity.

Organizing activities this way helps some people more easily enter a state of flow or to be "in the zone".  In positive psychology, flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

I use time boxes to design my daily activities.  Once per week, I break my current projects into bitesize tasks and allocate them into a framework which consists of windows of time.  This practice enables consistent movement forward and a great sense of clarity.

I've found that these blocks of time facilitate a better output as well.  They allow me to dive into the topic at hand and think creatively on a deeper level about it.  Over time, I've learned how to really elevate the quality of thought I can produce by working on the placement of the boxes in particular sequences.  I've got a few time boxes that are my favorite part of my week every week.

When I use time boxes, it often silences the critical part of my brain, which enables real-time discovery when probing ideas.  I highly recommend using timeboxing in your electronic calendar to design your days.

References:

• Evidence of Maximal Adaptation to Task Constraints
• 4 Scientifically Proven Ways To Boost Your Brain Productivity
• Ultradian Rhythms in Prolonged Human Performance
• For Real Productivity, Less is Truly More
• Wikipedia: Flow (psychology)
• Wikipedia: Timeboxing