GTD SOP#2 – 48 minutes

[This is part of a series covering the Getting Things Done Standard Operating Procedures I use to manage my goals, priorities and workload. I thought I'd share these because they've made and continue to make a huge difference in my productivity, and I hope they will for you too!]

 

Timer… and WatchDog

What: An easy to read digital timer for blocking my days into 48 minutes of working time followed by 12 minutes of slack time.

Use: When blogging, writing, programming or anything requiring serious thought; to put a limit on how long I read posts, RSS feeds, surf the net and process email.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007Q6NI0/102-9962585-8260124

How:  Two ways: I block significant (revenue related) work into 48 minute concentrated bursts followed by 12 minute slack times to check email, reload coffee, etc. I can string together five or so blocks and still stay in the flow – the 12 minutes is long enough to attend to life, short enough not to break my concentration. Secondly, when on the net the timer goes on so I don't lose all the productivity I gain (see this post at Web Worker Daily – they nailed it)!

Why:

Life is a marathon, not a sprint and this way I can go nine rounds with my daily workload without turning my brain cells into grey goo by the end of the day and without being tied hand and foot to the clock – I don't give a damn whether I start task x at precisely 10 am – it's the results that matter. Being in the flow let's me be at my most creative with the least amount of stress.

As I get closer to my 50th birthday, my memory is simply not as good as it was 20 years ago. More importantly, I have about five times more to do, read, process, code and write than I did then.

Notes:

The timer is such I have present it to two intervals – 48 minutes on the top, 12 on the bottom half of the display. I can flip a switch in the back to go back and forth. The big display makes it easy to read. I think this big display timer is made for sparring rounds such as in Tae Kwon Do – which sounds just like my day!

So do you have a Standard Operating Procedure for alternating between focused work and taking a breather? If so, what? If not, would you be more productive with such an SOP?

 

Comments

[jen_chan, writer MemberSpeed.com]

Cute watch dog. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of organized work. I can be such a clutter bug sometimes. Still, your idea has some appeal. I don't think anybody can go on working without taking a break or two in between. The problem with me is that the break tends to go on for long. While your 12 minutes sounds a little restricting at first, it might be worth a shot.

[Stephen Harrison]

Bob,

Thanks for another great productivity tip, I’ve been giving it a try and found it really helps me stay focused.

Stefan,

Please check out my blog entry (http://www.analysisuk.com/blog/archives/30-Implementing-GTD-SOP-2-with-the-help-of-Dinner-Timer-Lite..html) for how to use Dinner Timer Lite (http://www.DinnerTimer.com) to time your self against this SOP, this will provide you with a timer on the screen.

Basically you set it up for a 60 minute duration and set a warning time to be 12 minutes before the end, you then get a notification (bubble or/and sound) when it’s time to slack and then the final alarm goes when slack timer is over – at which point you restart the timer (and start working again!). You can also set the transparency so it’s barely visible when it’s running so you can still see it but it’s not distracting you.

I hope you find Dinner Timer Lite useful in the pursuit of GTD SOP #2.

Steve.

[Stefan]

Hello Bob,

This is an Excellent tip. I have to implement this 48-12 minutes approach asap. I would prefer the timer on screen though, and it would be perfect if it displays and logs the type of hat I am wearing during the 48 minutes. Thanks for the tip and all the other great content.