Discussion Forum > Combining timers with list systems
All these ideas are good. I've tried all of them.
No. 1 is good for tasks that take maybe an hour, but you don't want to do or are resisting, like written a monthly report.
I do find that short intervals of time, 1 minute, 2 minutes, are fatiguing after a while. They are good for checking on an item, like spot-cleaning. It is good to use to warmup for longer intervals of time. They are good for related activities that don't take a lot of thought. I can keep it up using short intervals for maybe half hour or hour, but the task switching, especially if the tasks are not related, tires the brain.
I find that working for 30 minutes, then taking a break for 5 minutes, to be very useful, and I can go for maybe 2 hours doing this.
But using a timer is highly disciplined, and our brain does not necessarily follow the dictates of a timer, but has its own timetable. I am not able to spend the whole day using a timer; it makes life seem like a factory. After a while I start resisting using the timer, and go with the flow.
So it has its uses, but I don't think it is a complete system, just one part. Maybe not the main part, maybe more like a prelude or overture.
There are tasks that require keeping several ideas in short term memory long enough to think of a solution or to execute a complex task, and interrupting the task just because the timer goes off would be counterproductive. So we need intervals of time of undetermined length to allow for these. So for me, using the timer prepares for these and warms up the brain, but it is dispensed with when no longer needed.
No. 1 is good for tasks that take maybe an hour, but you don't want to do or are resisting, like written a monthly report.
I do find that short intervals of time, 1 minute, 2 minutes, are fatiguing after a while. They are good for checking on an item, like spot-cleaning. It is good to use to warmup for longer intervals of time. They are good for related activities that don't take a lot of thought. I can keep it up using short intervals for maybe half hour or hour, but the task switching, especially if the tasks are not related, tires the brain.
I find that working for 30 minutes, then taking a break for 5 minutes, to be very useful, and I can go for maybe 2 hours doing this.
But using a timer is highly disciplined, and our brain does not necessarily follow the dictates of a timer, but has its own timetable. I am not able to spend the whole day using a timer; it makes life seem like a factory. After a while I start resisting using the timer, and go with the flow.
So it has its uses, but I don't think it is a complete system, just one part. Maybe not the main part, maybe more like a prelude or overture.
There are tasks that require keeping several ideas in short term memory long enough to think of a solution or to execute a complex task, and interrupting the task just because the timer goes off would be counterproductive. So we need intervals of time of undetermined length to allow for these. So for me, using the timer prepares for these and warms up the brain, but it is dispensed with when no longer needed.
June 15, 2022 at 4:22 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
Yeah, I'm also not sure if I could stick to a timer-based system. But at the very least, timers are a good tool to have in the toolbox.
June 15, 2022 at 16:20 |
Belacqua
Belacqua
No. 1 working on one task with timer intervals, like 1 minute, 2, 3, etc., is good when there is a deadline approaching soon (today or a few hours from now) on a task, and the task will take some time, and when it is difficult or there is internal resistance. In this case, alternating other tasks or doing little and often might risk not spending enough time to get it done by the deadline. I use it when I have to draft a long email.
No. 2 rotating tasks is good when there are several items that all have to be done by a deadline and it is not necessary to do them sequentially. If they are taken one at a time, there is risk of spending too much on one item, causing the other items not to get finished. After one gets started, it will become evident which items need more time. I am a musician, and often I have to get several pieces of music ready to perform, and I might rotate my practice so I start all the pieces and as I go along and might add more time to the more difficult pieces.
No. 3 rotating categories is good when one wants to check the progress of several things, perhaps not urgent, and there are several hours available. Here increasing the time intervals, 5,10, 15 minutes etc. is good so that fills up the time.
I don't use timers as much as I used to. I find it more effective if I use them only some of the time, but not most of the time. Perhaps daily use is good. However, the use of a timer is still like having a boss micromanaging your every move, and the inner rebel will begin to come out. This can be a sign to dispense with the timer. When I have a three-hour practice session, I often start with a timer and take physical breaks, but after two hours I am warmed up and in the groove and motivated, and I can practice for an hour more without taking a break and I forget about a timer.
No. 2 rotating tasks is good when there are several items that all have to be done by a deadline and it is not necessary to do them sequentially. If they are taken one at a time, there is risk of spending too much on one item, causing the other items not to get finished. After one gets started, it will become evident which items need more time. I am a musician, and often I have to get several pieces of music ready to perform, and I might rotate my practice so I start all the pieces and as I go along and might add more time to the more difficult pieces.
No. 3 rotating categories is good when one wants to check the progress of several things, perhaps not urgent, and there are several hours available. Here increasing the time intervals, 5,10, 15 minutes etc. is good so that fills up the time.
I don't use timers as much as I used to. I find it more effective if I use them only some of the time, but not most of the time. Perhaps daily use is good. However, the use of a timer is still like having a boss micromanaging your every move, and the inner rebel will begin to come out. This can be a sign to dispense with the timer. When I have a three-hour practice session, I often start with a timer and take physical breaks, but after two hours I am warmed up and in the groove and motivated, and I can practice for an hour more without taking a break and I forget about a timer.
June 15, 2022 at 17:32 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
P.S. Aside from the detailed treatment of such possibilities in the book "Get Everything Done"... I was reminded today that there is also a chapter on timers (ch. 34) in "Secrets of Productive People."
June 27, 2022 at 20:23 |
Belacqua
Belacqua
I've thought of a few general possibilities:
1. One works on one task at a time, for as long as one wants to, breaking this into timed intervals interspersed with breaks, and then one moves on to the next task. Obviously, this works with practically any of Mark's long-list or no-list systems.
2. One is forced to switch between tasks when the timer goes off. This is unlike any Forster system I'm aware of (since normally you get to work on a task as long as you want to). But it could be fairly easily implemented, I think. One could switch between three tasks, five tasks, or whatever number chosen from a list.
3. One is forced to switch between task categories when the timer goes off. This is Mark's system from "Get Everything Done." I wanted to try this but I was having difficulty dividing my tasks into categories. Also, this categorization seemed rather different from the later long-list systems which tend to involve an undifferentiated list. One idea dawned on me, however: there is a later Forster system with categories: AF4R. I tried it out with timers and it seems to work well! You just follow the rules of the GED system to the letter, except that you use "Old," "New," "Recurring" and "Unfinished" as the categories. You rotate among the categories on your AF4R list, adjusting the time up or down as needed (time can be kept on a separate index card). I take no credit for this; it's just a straightforward mash-up of two ready-made systems: GED and AF4R.
I feel like there are many other possibilities for combining timers with list systems--and many I haven't thought of! Other forum members have likely tried these much more extensively than I have. Feel free to share.