A Timer to Improve Productivity

It is possible to increase your productivity by using the egg timer. If you don't have many hours with your grandma, chances are that you don't see the old-fashioned big timer more often nowadays. If you need to time things in the kitchen, the built-in microwave or oven timer usually will do the trick. And of course what smart phone owner doesn't bust out their favorite timer app whenever they need to count the seconds down? If you're looking at increasing your productivity by a significant amount it's time to change to an analog.

What is the reason to use a timer?

The art of distracting yourself has been perfected all over the world, but especially in the workplace. Gmail and Outlook email clients notify you whenever new messages are in. Instant messages appear out of nowhere, phone buzz/vibrate continuously, and text messages don't stop chirping. These devices are made to catch your interest. Although this may improve the efficiency of communication, it's depriving us of our efficiency. Your mind must assess the new information each time you glance away from your work. You have the option of deciding the importance of it, manage it, or turn it off. You can either lose focus completely or force your mind back to the task at hand. You're wasting time and effort trying to return to the right track. If you're using big timer online timer you're insisting that you concentrate only on the job at present and only that. If you allocate a specific period of time for a job, you'll ignore any distracting factors that aren't essential to completing the task. Your timer is like a fence to keep you from wandering too far.

Why go analog?

The traditional egg timer, which could have been your prisoner when you were a kid, will now set you free! If you wish to focus on a single thing, it is important to have as much tunnel vision as is possible. Write Room is one program that will help you accomplish this. This tool allows you to block out the rest of your computer so you're left with the basic word processor. If you use a big timer in your computer or mobile phone you're exposing yourself to a myriad of possible distractions. Emails, RSS updates, instant messages, texts, voice mails...you name it! Even more, if you perform something with your device, it might cause your "away" or idle status to change to "active" and encourage people to reach you for personal or professional reasons. These time thieves shouldn't be allowed to bring you down!

Set reasonable limits

It's not possible to shut off all. You need be able to concentrate on a single task and be completely disconnected from the the world. When you do this, your bosses or clients as well as loved ones may become somewhat annoyed. Instead, set an appropriate amount of time for your goal. It is also possible to divide larger projects into smaller parts. Take a break and then get back to work. You'll be amazed by the efficiency you can attain by setting time limits and then enforcing them with a non-distraction timer.