Discussion Forum > Paul Bloom's extreme version of "little and often"
Thanks for the link.
As well as, or even rather than, little and often, it brings to mind for me the advice about timed bursts in chapters 7 & 8 of Mark's first book; more than brings to mind, in fact - it actually IS one of the methods Mark describes.
Nothing new under the sun, eh?
As well as, or even rather than, little and often, it brings to mind for me the advice about timed bursts in chapters 7 & 8 of Mark's first book; more than brings to mind, in fact - it actually IS one of the methods Mark describes.
Nothing new under the sun, eh?
August 14, 2024 at 16:02 |
IanS
IanS
There are threads on this topic in the forum here, perhaps if you search for "timeboxing" one can find them.
I have found it to be useful to use timers. One can use it incrementally - start with 1 minute, and increase it by one minute, etc. Or rotate tasks for let's say 5 minutes. Mark Forster's book Get Everything Done has several variations of this. I find it useful on cleaning chores, and spend one minute on spot cleaning throughout the home. It is helpful if the tasks are related or in the same location.
I bought cheap sandtimers for 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes, the type that children use to play games, and I like these because they don't beep! I tend to go over the time limit, which can be good if one wants to increase the time spend on activities, rather than limit the time. I have a 15-minute glass sand timer that I use for meditation/prayer.
If I am fatigued, or recovering from sickness, or unmotivated, I might start with doing something for one minute, and repeat for one minute, until I want to work for longer, then set if for 2 minutes, but not go lower, and keep increasing the time. What usually happens is I get absorbed in an activity and I will forget to set the timer again. Often what was needed is to get started doing something, and build momentum. It functions as a warmup, or scaffolding which can dropped.
However, there is a limit to how long I can do this. The limit is about an hour. I can go longer if I keep incrementing to 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, etc. But the small increments become tedious after a while, and the task switching can wear the brain out.
I have found it to be useful to use timers. One can use it incrementally - start with 1 minute, and increase it by one minute, etc. Or rotate tasks for let's say 5 minutes. Mark Forster's book Get Everything Done has several variations of this. I find it useful on cleaning chores, and spend one minute on spot cleaning throughout the home. It is helpful if the tasks are related or in the same location.
I bought cheap sandtimers for 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes, the type that children use to play games, and I like these because they don't beep! I tend to go over the time limit, which can be good if one wants to increase the time spend on activities, rather than limit the time. I have a 15-minute glass sand timer that I use for meditation/prayer.
If I am fatigued, or recovering from sickness, or unmotivated, I might start with doing something for one minute, and repeat for one minute, until I want to work for longer, then set if for 2 minutes, but not go lower, and keep increasing the time. What usually happens is I get absorbed in an activity and I will forget to set the timer again. Often what was needed is to get started doing something, and build momentum. It functions as a warmup, or scaffolding which can dropped.
However, there is a limit to how long I can do this. The limit is about an hour. I can go longer if I keep incrementing to 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, etc. But the small increments become tedious after a while, and the task switching can wear the brain out.
August 14, 2024 at 18:19 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
I also do the incremental timers and usually get up to about 6 or 7 minute timers before I forget to set new timers. After the 7 minute timer you've actually done (nearly) half an hour of work, which is great.
Bloom mentions 6 minute timers on 5-10 tasks. I do remember once using 3 minute timers on an entire page of tasks (writing them as I go, so things I'm ready to do for 3 minutes right away).
Bloom mentions 6 minute timers on 5-10 tasks. I do remember once using 3 minute timers on an entire page of tasks (writing them as I go, so things I'm ready to do for 3 minutes right away).
August 26, 2024 at 20:11 |
Don R
Don R
I've been reading this site for years, but never actually posted!
Psychologist Paul Bloom posted some of his "productivity tips" earlier this year. The whole post is pretty fun to read, and might be of interest to this group, but I particularly thought people here might enjoy this section
https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net/i/138928153/then-six-minute-bursts
He describes a method he sometimes uses, where he sets a timer for 6 minutes, and jumps between tasks each time the alarm goes off. I immediately thought of Mark's "little and often", albeit taken to an extreme!
Anyway, curious to here what people here think. Has anyone tried anything similar?
-Jake