In a world where time seems to pass faster due to the Internet and social media use, planning has become an essential part of maintaining balance between our personal and professional activities. Many people use different tools to manage their time and be more productive, with timers/stopwatches and physical planners being the most common traditional tools. Next, we’ll learn about the importance of these tools and how to plan our activities to improve our productivity.
Why use a stopwatch and planner to be more productive?
While there are many online tools for time management (software, mobile apps, desktop programs, etc.), traditional tools allow for greater focus because they are free of distractions, allowing us to be more productive. For example, if we use a mobile app, we may see a notification (from social media or an instant messaging program) when using our phone that distracts or blurs our focus. However, with a physical planner, the distraction is minimal because it doesn’t require interacting with electronic devices or using the internet.
Benefits of using a stopwatch and a calendar
It is important to use a stopwatch and a physical planner in combination, especially to increase productivity, as they allow for the creation of a balanced system (free from distractions) that allows us to have precise control over time and an effective and flexible structuring of activities.
Chronometer
Using a stopwatch helps us become more aware of the time we can dedicate to each task, which allows us to be more productive and avoid extending the time established for a specific activity.
By timing tasks, the level of concentration or focus can be increased, since by setting time limits, the person is stimulated to work in a concentrated manner and with a certain degree of urgency, which is a perfect “catalyst” to carry out tasks in a certain period of time, which is essential to meet our goals and objectives, especially in the medium and long term.
While many activities are managed in 45- or 60-minute chunks, there are some techniques that use shorter periods. An example is the Pomodoro technique, a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s (its name comes from a tomato-shaped kitchen timer), which Cirillo used while a student. The main idea is to divide work into focused intervals, usually 25 minutes long, separated by short breaks (5 minutes), which helps keep the mind fresh and avoid fatigue.
Agenda
Using a planner helps us create a “road map” or written record that establishes the different tasks or activities to be performed during a day or week, with their respective priority level and execution time. This way, we can carry out a series of tasks based on a structured plan that will help us organize our time, which is essential to achieving our medium- and long-term goals.
One of the great advantages of physical planners is that they don’t depend on batteries, internet, or electronic devices. A physical planner is always ready, whether in a power outage or in a location with no signal, making it reliable and practical, and also contributing to a digital diet or disconnection.
Combination of a stopwatch and a calendar
By using the combination of a stopwatch and an agenda, we can generate time records and compare them with the planning established in the agenda. This practice allows us to carry out a thorough review and then make the necessary adjustments to improve our performance and effectiveness.
Lists or materials that represent activities carried out
Another physical productivity technique (which can be complemented by the use of a stopwatch and diary) is the use of a list of activities, which we can “cross off” as we do them. We can also use different materials to represent activities. For example, if we have to make 20 sales calls in one afternoon, we can place 20 paper clips or marbles in a glass and as we make those calls, we pass those paper clips or marbles into another glass.
Weekly planning in the agenda
It’s important to plan (in a planner) all of our daily and weekly activities. For example, every Sunday night, we can dedicate an hour to planning our entire week, specifying the activities we’ll do and the rest times. Another time to do this planning is on Monday (at the beginning of the week).
When viewing by distributing our activities across physical pages (in a planner), we’ll have a clearer view of our week. This makes it easier to prioritize tasks and detect overloads before they become a problem.
What do you think about this topic? Do you know of any other ways to plan our weekly activities to be more productive?
If you have any questions or queries, you can write them below (comments section).
