Timeboxing
What it means
Timeboxing is giving a task a fixed amount of time in advance and stopping when that time runs out, whether or not it feels finished. Time-blocking decides when you do something; timeboxing decides how long you allow it. The limit forces decisions, cuts perfectionism short and turns open-ended jobs, such as tidying or research, into something with an end.
How to use it
Choose a box that feels slightly too short, for example 30 minutes for a first draft. When the time is up, stop and decide: keep the result, book another box or drop it. Note how many boxes things really take so your estimates improve.
Try it: what you write, what LifeOS does
- “saturday at 10am tidy the desk for 30 minutes” → An appointment on Saturday at 10:00 with a reminder: a clear start for a job that has a clear end.