Using a Stopwatch for Time Management

Your phone currently has an extremely useful tool for you to attain your goals.

The Stopwatch.

Embedded between other more useful apps, the stopwatch sits alone and often on used by most people.  Unless one goes to a track meet, a horse race or maybe NASCAR, most people don’t use the StopWatch. 

That’s because they don’t know how to use the Stopwatch in relation to their mind and their goals. 

On my iPhone clock app, my Timer is used quite a bit for meditating, cooking or remind me about the length of interminable Zoom meetings. 

To the left of the Stopwatch is the alarm.  I use the alarmevery morning and remind me to leave early for Doctors Appointments, meetings or deadlines for calls before business closing hours.  

On the far left side is the World Clock which I use more and more often as filmmaking clients now reach into Europe, Africa and Asia.  That pesky International Date Line still messes with my  head as much as I’ve tried to do the time math.  

So the Stopwatch sits alone. 

Now, the Stopwatch is a very useful tool for attaining your Goals and Dreams.  How?  Well, every goal and dreams requires Subgoals which require Actions which requires Tasks.  

Tasks take time. 

Sometimes, ways too much Time.

And Time is the one thing that, well, just ticks away.

Humans are creatures that are curious and will go down rabbit holes on the internet, get distracted with other more ‘pleasant’ tasks and generally procrastinate. 

So what’s the best strategy.

Hook the mind into a sense of Urgency, Play, Accomplishment and Focus. 

The Stopwatch is ideal for this strategy.  Tick, tock. Tick, tock.  Everyone wants to “beat the clock” with a good race time. 

Remember, the Stopwatch is used for Sports to pick a winner, lab experiments for the required precision time as well as Client Billing for consultations. 

Managers do use the Stopwatch for business process analysis as well as employee efficiency.

You are the  Leader of your Goals.  It all starts with you.  So if you have a ‘process’ in a task, then use the Stopwatch to Time this task.  I’m using the Stopwatch right now to write this article, create the videos and post them. 

How fast can I accomplish my tasks?

So, let’s get into How you can incorporate the Stopwatch technique into your Work process. 

Determine Your Structure and the Subgoals

Your Goal is broken down into some goals which are broken down into actions in the actions are broken down into tasks. Humans constantly use a breakdown structure for their creative process if it's writing an opera, writing a novel, designing a car or project management for a building. So first determine what is your process, break them into Subgoals and then Actions.  

Here are some examples:

Ever want to write a song? Know you could do better? Break down the process...

Many people want their own business. Just break down the process...and Start!

1. Idea generation: Coming up with a business idea

2. Opportunity evaluation: Assessing the potential of the business idea 

3. Planning: Writing a business plan that includes an executive summary, company overview, goals, market research, and organizational chart 

4. Company formation and launch: Registering the business, choosing a name, and securing funding 

5. Growth: Scaling the business and establishing company culture 

6. Validation: Testing the business idea before going full-scale, such as through pilot programs, beta testing, or local feedback 

Divide Tasks into Manageable Chunks

Once you have determined your Structure and Subgoals, then break your tasks into  smaller, more manageable segments. This method prevents feelings of overwhelm and maintains steady progress.  One way to determine your task size is SMART Goals.

SMART Stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This is a popular acronym for setting goals. 

Now, pick one action or task and use your Stopwatch.  How focused can you be to get a good time on your work effort.  Don’t hurry and do a poor job but use the ticking of the stopwatch to keep moving with a sense of urgency.  

For example, if writing a 2,000-word essay feels daunting, set the stopwatch for 30 minutes and focus solely on drafting the introduction. This focused burst makes the task less intimidating.

If you are starting a business, then look at one aspect of the business such as Idea Generation which you could use with Mindmapping. 

Adopt the Pomodoro Technique

Yes, Pomodoro is the Tomato and a time use Technique.   You work in 25-30 minute blocks (known as Pomodoros), followed by a short break. This technique changes the perception of work, making it feel less daunting and helping to overcome procrastination.  

I  have used the Pomodoro Technique many, many times.  Sometimes the ticking clock urges me forward and sometimes the Ticking Clock is annoying.  But I use it in the moment and fairly consistently.  What’s very good is that you could plan 3-4 hours of intense work in 30 minute increments.  I find the planning more than four hours is a bit challenging because I definitely start to feel like I'm on a treadmill. Yes a highly a productive treadmill but nonetheless it becomes a bit more tedious.

For example, student studying for exams can use a stopwatch to set 30-minute study sessions, followed by a 5-minute break, enhancing concentration and retention.

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Leverage Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law is that work expands to fill the time available. A stopwatch helps create artificial deadlines, encouraging faster, more focused work with less multitasking.

In other words, if you  give yourself two hours to write up a concise explanation of your business opportunity, then it will take two hours.  If you were intensely and give yourself thirty  minutes, then the task will take thirty minutes.  That doesn’t mean that you can’t revisit your writing. 

I use a similar method when writing scripts and novels.  I make a very fast run through the  material, put  it down for a period of time and then revisit it for revisions.  But I am focusing intensely on my work.

For my script and novel, “Midnight In the City of Light”, I broke down the process into

Idea>Treatment>First Draft>Second Draft>Final

I wrote part-time and finished up a treatment over a period of two months. I intentionally wrote over two months  to generate ideas, tone and more.  But perhaps the total hours was twenty hours. I realized that I became very productive with Distractive  Brainstorming.  This technique is when I give myself a question, write it down and then go work in the garden or any other non-writing activity.  Then the ideas for an answer to that question flow. 

Once I had an almost twenty page treatment in hand, I went nuts and wrote intensely for eight days, finishing up a 122 page script in that allotted period of time.  I put down the script for about a month, read it and thought.  “Who wrote this crap?!”  Therefore, I embarked upon the next draft and revisions. Done!

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Gamify Your Task Work

By use the stopwatch to turn your tasks into fun ‘challenges’, you create a ‘gamification mentality’ with the emotional state of ‘Beating the clock’.  Note how the Ticking Clock mechanism is used in many human endeavors to force us to make a decision, take action and have fun. 

Gameshows like “Jeopardy” use the Ticking Clock to force the players to think intensely.  I like Jeopardy and its trivia pursuit.  Friends and family tell me that I should go on the show.  Of course, if it’s World War II history, geography, literature and movies, then great.  But if it’s sports, cooking, physics…well…not so great. 

You could actually make a short sheet of boxes with each task or phase.  Or simply use a checklist for Goals-Subgoals-Actions-Tasks.  Put the checklist up where you will see it everyday.  Then work to check off the boxes  

For example, a filmmaker editing footage can challenge themselves to complete a scene edit within a set time, increasing motivation and satisfaction once the task is completed.

Summary

By using techniques like the Stopwatch, you can enthuse, enliven and quicken the pace of Tasks and Actions toward your goals.  The App is right there on your phone.   Take it for a test drive and give yourself a task and start the clock running.

Now beat the clock.

Get to Your Dream.

Live an Authentic Fulfilled Life.

Go. 

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