Quick Tip: Be a Better Estimator of Time

On March 23, 2010, in Quick Tip, Time Management, by Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®
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Do you think it really takes 10 minutes to check your e-mail?  Think you’ve been watching TV for only a short time?  Have you looked at the clock and wondered where the time went?  Sometimes what feels like just a couple minutes is really a couple of hours.

So, what to do?  Use a timer.  Any timer. Try the one on your phone or on your stove.  Randomly set it for a 15 minutes to see what 15 minutes really feels like.  Or, use it for something like a boiling a 10 minute egg.  You’ll be surprised by how quickly those minutes fly by.

Then, on the next occasion you need to spend quality time with a very important project, set your timer again.  It’s a great way to check your time management ROI.  Try it out and tell me how it works for you.

 

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  • Jaime Maerz

    Great tip! I use a timer almost daily, mainly with the kids, and it works great! When the boys are fighting over a toy or a game, and can’t work it out themselves, I set the timer. When it goes off, it’s time to give his brother a turn. Another use is when the boys want my time. If I am in the middle of something or need to get something done, I tell them I need X amount time. I set the timer and let them know when it goes off, I am all theirs! :)

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  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    Love your “I need X amount of time” + timer idea. It’s very concrete and helps you keep your word when you tell the kids you’ll be available at a specific time. Thanks for sharing, Jaime! =)

  • Sandy

    I’ve been thinking about this concept lately. I’m going to be taking over new tasks that will require me to do more multi-tasking and to have more face-to-fact interactions. What I really need is something that shows me how much time I have left to complete whatever I am working on. An hour-glass would be perfect, but they only seem to be available in increments of 3-5 minutes and one hour. I need some that have intermediate times. Today I used a digital timer to pace a conference call, but you can’t set any intermediate times and it does alarm. The hour-glass is silent.

    I suppose it would be rude to flip on over everytime someone comes into my office?

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    Hi Sandy – Multitasking is not so good for one’s brain cells, but when you have lots on your plate, it’s important to stay on task for the allotted time. That said, could you use the timer on your cell phone or iPod Touch to help you see how long it takes for you to complete specific activities?

    Btw, I actually don’t think that it’s rude to turn on your timer when someone comes in your office…IF you tell them up front that you’re working on an important project and only have a few minutes. They’re likely to forgo the chit chat and get straight to the point. Let me know if you find a solution that works well for you. =)

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