Timebox

It sounds a bit terse sometimes to timebox something, especially when it's important, but it's a really valuable tool to focus our brains completely on something, then congratulate our brain with a break.

Within this timebox a planned activity takes place. It could be a meeting, writing a blog post, or working really hard on a software integration. It is usually a bit smaller than the entirety of the work that needs to be done, and feels a little uncomfortable at first.

It is used by Agile principles-based project management approaches and personal time management. The value in timeboxing is that any scope of work has to be shaved down to the time alloted, forcing work to flow, feedback to be given, and pivots to be made on the work.

It's the alternate of focusing on something far too long and realizing that it's not what's needed. It completely kills the feeling of being 'stuck' when one is 10% to 'done'.  

Anyone who has been stuck knows the feeling of loneliness in that, timeboxes help put borders around focus. If someone is stuck, the best thing to do when that timebox is up is ask for help. It frees up a lot of angst around the hard work that we do, and uncovers issues and difficulties with complexity much faster.

Timeboxes of any sort are great to push the brain a bit to engage in the moment, then give it a break. 

One recommended method we tend to use is the Pomodoro technique, where one sets a timer (like one of those tomato shaped ones, but any will do) for 25 minutes. Marinara Timer is our favorite web based application. 

This time of focused concentration separated by breaks allows the mind to recover, gives room to celebrate a small piece of work done rather than a grand slog that pains someone for the hours or days. It feels really good to be able to, at the end of the day, look back at how much focused work got done and celebrate, and not feel totally worn out, but energized.