Do You Specifically Block Out Time for Specific Contexts?

H

HappyDude

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Now that i'm living at UCLA I've noticed that an array of my NA's are under my Mac:Online context. This is ever more exciting considering having just moved to UCLA at the dorms, I've been hanging out and meeting a bunch of new people, putting some contexts on the back burner.

I guess and suppose the answer is yes, and perhaps even no.

My overall concern is that it's morning now and pretty soon it's going to be nighttime. I'm running around the entire day with hardly a moment to sit down and open my MacBook and tackle my NAs.

What's funny is that every time I start once of these threads I seem to come to an answer and conclusion myself before I hit the submit button.
 
7 habits

I have found Dr Stephen Covey's 7 habits work, as well as Peter Drucker's papers on the subject of productivity and time management useful. However embedding the knowledge always remains the challenge for us.

A 1 day DA coaching seminar/workshop could well be a door into increased personal/professional productivity. Less reliance on technology....but used wisely in distance and online learning is good.
 
I clock out time for specific projects, not contexts.

The thing is: you cannot block out over commitment. When your day-to-day routine is taking all your time already, then there is no time left for project work. Alternatively you trim your routines. Where can you make time? Less TV perhaps? Doing the grocieres weekly in one go to save time?
 
I have the same hectic days as you do. Meeting after meeting, routine after routine. There's no time for doing pre-defined actions at all. There are two ways out: say no more often to people requiring your time or block out time for doing pre-defined actions. I chose the second. Everyday I block our time from 10 to 11 to do actions from my lists. You can do it at different time of course. Start with 30 minutes or 1 hour a day.

Give it a try and let me know the result.
 
Blockout time

I have for years ever since law school blocked out time for simply concentrating on one subject, case, issue, new develops etc. Some things require scheduled concentrated time to think, draft, plan. review etc. Its the only way to effectively deal with a complicated and thoughtful issue. Do it and stay sane and effective
 
I don't because most of my time is at a computer, but I do know of others at work that do. There's one specialist that is often in demand and struggles with time to do work, and he regularly books in one day a fortnight for visiting a site he is responsible for, and also often blocks out time for doing work. Since he shares his calendar with a lot of people it discourages others from booking him solidly into meetings. It seems to work well for him.
 
Yes, sometimes

I do on occasion. There are times when I know that I need to work in a particular area or am trying to get something done before a deadline. I'll put an apt. on my calendar for that context if it's really critical. Since I work from home I can change my context to suit what I need to do most of the time, weather permitting, and there are some contexts that I avoid (@Computer Windows - I HATE working in Windows!) so if I don't schedule them I'll never go there or get those things done until they blow up on me.
 
Yes. I have this big irritating context called @work that I keep scheduling enormous blocks of time for.

Cheers,
Roger
 
I don't block time for specific contexts, but often do for specific projects or next actions. I do this for 2 reasons:

1. protect my calendar from the wild westers who see open times on my calendar and book me for a meeting

2. to force myself to give priority to a project or next action
 
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