If you’re one of the types of people who always drifts back onto your phone after 5 minutes of work then, you are not alone. It has been estimated that 90-95 percent of college students have caught themselves in some form of procrastination, and I’m no different. One of the reasons we drift back to our phones to finish that Netflix episode is because we don’t know what to do during that time. If your to-do list is full of tasks, then you’ll do them—eventually. Probably at the last minute. But what the to-do list doesn’t say is when to do those tasks. If there is no “when,” then you’ll go back to the habit of scrolling through Instagram.
Fortunately, I have a solution: Timeboxing. How it works is that you create blocks of time concentrating on one thing. You are creating an appointment where you just work on your chosen task. By doing this, you no longer need to think twice about when to do that homework assignment. All you need to do is to follow your plan and let that be the guide to doing your work.
Now I know what you are thinking: “But what if my plan changes?” That’s true. Plans change all of the time. Sometimes an unexpected event or task gets in the way. Yet—like anything else—if your plan changes, then you just need to adapt. Create a new plan or calendar. It’s as simple as that.
Some of the best ways to start timeboxing are to use some apps. I use Google Calendar, but there are many others out there. If apps don’t strike your fancy, then you can use the classic pen-and-paper. But no matter which method you choose, you’ll get a productive timeboxing experience.
— Billy Wikol
