Always busy, always on, too many meetings? We have just the method you need to speed up everything. Time chunking is a technique which enables you to get more done in less time by “chunking” or breaking demanding tasks down into small, doable items.

In this way, you also reduce the original working hours on each of those tasks one at a time. Time chunking can have a major improvement on your time management skills.

What is time chunking?

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Chunking is a way to group together information so that it can be used to get the results you want without making you feel stressed. Do you always feel like you’re running out of time?

“Time anxiety” overwhelms many people as we feel we have to make productive use of every second and it becomes stressful watching the clock. But there is a way out.

How? By maximizing pockets of time.

Thinking in time chunks and executing tasks in these snippets will help lower stress and anxiety levels while upping your productivity. It helps people feel less stressed when they have too many responsibilities that don’t match their interests.

Chunking is a core component of Tony Robbins’ Rapid Planning Method. The main rapid planning method ideas underlying this concept can be summarized in two points:

1. Where your attention goes, energy flows
2. If you focus on the most important things for your success, great things will happen as you give them more importance over time

But how can you tell if chunking your time helps you boost productivity?

TimeTrack Timesheets are a great feature to track how much time is spent on a work item or project. Employers and employees rarely track attendance. TimeTrack automatically creates employee timesheets. The incredible advantages of automated timekeeping with a single click!

Multitasking vs. time chunking method

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We often spend more time trying to fit in tasks and work than actually working and often turn to multitasking. Humans have taken the term “multitasking” from computers and try to apply it in daily life to get as many things done as possible. The problem is that multitasking can lead to numerous mistakes and cause split focus, resulting in more time lost.

Multitasking is just task switching that looks like a bigger deal. But don’t be fooled: doing more than one thing at once is not good. When we switch from one task to another while getting up to speed on the new task, we lose focus. It becomes difficult to apply ourselves wholly to any of the projects or tasks which can lead to simple errors, missed deadlines, and forgetting to input important information.

 

How does the time chunking method work?

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Time chunking is a great way to stay productive when overwhelmed by a task. It’s also easier because it lets individuals focus on just one thing at a time, instead of doing two or three things simultaneously.

As a bonus, this method helps us become more productive and efficient while improving focus and concentration. This means that chunking can restore some much-needed free time so we can reach goals faster and with much less stress!

Weekly time chunking

The idea behind weekly time chunking is to break up the work week into smaller pieces of time. It doesn’t matter how long each chunk is (it could be two-hour or half-day chunks). You can then break the task down into further time chunks if necessary.

Placing the same type of work at the same time (every week) “trains” the brain to know that a certain kind of work is done at a specific time.

• Make sure to time each task. Group several tasks together, i.e., client work and reporting, marketing and social media, admin and research, and so on. Now assign specific tasks to time chunks in your calendar.
• When a designated time comes up, only perform that specific task. Don’t let other things distract you.

Use the new week chunks for two to three weeks and then change them if needed. This will help you feel more in control and less overwhelmed in a very short time.

Daily time chunking

Plan the entire workday in 30-minute chunks or segments. During each 30-minute chunk:

• Spend 25 minutes on a single task or a group of functions.
• Take a five-minute break after 25 minutes.
• Four times, do the 25/five-minute sequence. Then, take a 15-minute break.

How does chunking benefit time management?

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Very few of us are lucky enough to not feel stressed and anxious on a daily basis. Overwork, personal chores and general daily life factors cause worry and panic and it’s easy to feel constantly overwhelmed.

When people have too much to do, it can make them feel like they can’t move. They lack the motivation to get things done, even the simplest tasks. Focus can fracture as they feel less efficient, less effective and less productive.

No matter how good a person is at juggling multiple projects, research shows that they can only pay attention to a few things at once.

Time chunkers improve their skills by using the brain’s natural tendency to see patterns, which helps them focus better on what needs to be done.

Think back on a time when you missed a deadline or didn’t do well enough on a project. Chances are it wasn’t because you lacked the skill – but rather you mismanaged your time. This is why time chunking is such a boon to time management. It makes everything realistic and practical.

Get started with time chunking at work

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Time chunkers can set work limits that respect the work-life balance when they work from home, in a hybrid setting, or anywhere else.

• Start chunking by picking a single task. Set aside the estimated time needed to do it and get to work. Ignore phone calls and non-urgent emails. You could even put your phone on silent for that chunk of time. Focus on that piece of work for the time set aside.
• Do the same with other routine things. Focus on one thing at a time and divide days into chunks, and soon it will become second nature. You’ll notice an increase in productivity, more free time, greater focus, less stress and pressure and a sense of accomplishment.
• When individuals connect tasks to their purpose, they go from being things that must be done to something they want to do. The focus should be on purposeful priorities and bigger goals. Work and business are impacted by time on task. Individuals and companies miss opportunities to improve procedures if they don’t conduct regular time audits and job estimations. Consider how much lost project time, lack of resources, meetings, frequent breaks and chit-chat cost a business.

Time chunking tips

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Smart working means saving money, energy and time while increasing productivity and efficiency. To improve productivity, try these tips.

1. Compile a list of tasks

Create your master list of everything that needs to be done. Always start with the tasks that require the most energy and time and are most critical/urgent. Write down everything, even the smallest jobs.

Check this to-do list often and keep it up-to-date by adding urgent things to do as soon as they arise. Include both operational tasks and things like planning and building relationships.

Your list should be easy to understand and give a quick overview of the most important tasks.  By focusing on the bigger picture, time chunkers can avoid stress and be motivated enough to devise a good plan to reach their goals.

2. Block your time

Break up the workday into chunks of minutes or hours for specific things. Set aside time in the schedule to get things done and tell your team you’re not available unless it’s urgent. Plan to do difficult tasks during your most productive times of the day. Don’t forget to plan for breaks and time to talk to colleagues to work together or even have a little fun to recharge one’s batteries for increased productivity.

Some employees struggle with regularity; even after using the chunking method, people may fail to clock in on time.

Consider this, without a clear time-tracking system, accounting spends countless hours transcribing data manually. Time-consuming documentation results in the loss of hundreds of hours that could have been spent otherwise. TimeTrack Attendance Tracking feature helps businesses track employee hours. This helps create accountability and measure productivity.

3. Work on one task at a time

Multitasking isn’t sustainable so get into the habit of doing one task at a time – and doing it well. When individuals do more than one thing at once, their brain has to work harder, making concentrating hard.

Focus on one thing at a time until it’s done. Focus can help time chunkers pay attention and get better results. Avoid interruptions when working on something and try not to do or think about other things. Try not to switch between tasks too often. If things come up while you’re working, write them down and set aside time for them.

4. Follow the plan

Be responsible and stick to the plan. Avoid procrastination. Set a due date for each task to keep track of progress. Start with small tasks and chunks of time. Start the day by working for 20 to 25 minutes straight, then take a five-minute break. As you go on and get used to the method, you can gradually make this period longer.

5. Review the results

Perform the necessary tasks. That’s all there is to it. Focus your most productive hours and complete concentration on a single item or project for any length of time. Once the assignment is completed, review the work and results. What can be improved? How well did the project turn out? Did you make any errors? All this information can help shape the following tasks, increase flexibility, boost productivity and enhance one’s ability to chunk and allocate time in general.

Conclusion

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Time is the most valuable thing we all have, so it’s important to manage it well. Moreover, individuals’ time investments shape their success. Time chunking is a great way to reach one’s goals and make the most of their time to create an effective action plan for a better outcome.

Give your time chunking skills a try with TimeTrack – test the features for free and improve your productivity.