One of the most important ingredients in effective time management techniques is the 10 minute rule. We all know that it is cool. But it is most of the times hard to implement. Without wasting your precious time, I dive directly into the post to explain 7 sure fire working ways to help you implement the 10 minute rule. Here ya go.
Set up alarm
This is just the trivial tip; don’t just punch me in my face. I am sure that even though this is trivial it is not used by almost 90% of the people who want to manage their time. This is one of the simplest ways to keep up with the 10 minute chunks of work.
Choose a task, set an alarm, give yourself a GO, stop the work (or better finish it) by the time the alarm goes. Just don’t hesitate to stop in the middle if you have to. That is how this strategy work.
What if you don’t finish it when the alarm goes?
Well there is nothing wrong. Just take another 10 minutes. But there is a catch. You are allowed to prolong one task for only ten more minutes, provided you have no idea about how to perform it in 10 minutes. If you have done the same task earlier, you must be able to finish it off- no excuses.
Choose to work on tasks that take about 10 minutes
If you think that your work list contains a mix of tasks then for a particular part of the day choose to work only on tasks that take 10 minutes. Let that time of the day be the ’10 minute’ time so that you take care of all the small tasks at a stretch.
Divide the bigger tasks to 10 minute chunks
Not all tasks can be completed in 10 minutes (those tasks are called elephants). That is for sure. So what to do about them? Cut the elephant into chunks and eat it.
Dividing a big task into manageable chunks is one of the 3D strategies to effective time management.
10 minutes a day
Not just the small tasks, even the bigger tasks can also be taken care of by embracing the 10 minute rule. This is just similar to dividing the big task into smaller 10 minute chunks but deal with each chunk a day. This tip may not suit all kinds of tasks but tasks like cleaning a garage can very well be executed.
Take a break every 10 mins
This tip will suit mostly for those who do same kind of job like sitting in front of the computer, or doing the same type of calculations or file operations throughout the day. For them, not only for effective time management, but taking break every 10 minutes is also good for their mind and health.
First of all it gives a rest to the eyes so as to start the next session fresh. Next it also clears the mind off the tension and any unnecessary stress related to the work that accumulates to something big at the end of the day.
So take rest every 10 minutes. The break need not involve a nap in the couch. But you can just get up from the chair and walk for a minute or two along the corridor or you can get close to the window and get some fresh air.
Taking such frequent little breaks can act as productive breaks and will help to keep your productivity level high throughout the day.
Delegate bits and pieces
Sometimes a task needs your bit of work for only 10 minutes and the rest can be delegated or outsourced. If this is the case then do not hesitate to outsource the rest of the task and do your 10 minute bit to make the task completed.
Delegation is also one of three Ds for effective time management and using it to embrace the 10 minute rule should work like breeze. I have tried it many times.
But there is a word of caution in implementing this tip- Do not become lazy and tend to overdo the delegation process just to implement 10 minute rule. It is more important that you perform your task to the fullest quality rather than completing it in 10 minutes. I hope you realize this importance.
Eliminate distractions for the 10 min period
I love this tip and lot and it works great for me. This tip can go hand in hand with the “setting up an alarm too”. Just restrict yourself to distractions and time wasters for a period of ten minutes. In order to assist you with this mission, you might set up an alarm.
Turn off email notifiers, Tweet desk, log off from Facebook, Yahoo! Answers and so on. And, concentrate only on what you are working for the next ten minutes.
After the 10 minute period you can either choose to take a break for a while or extend for the next 10 minutes. In any case I strongly advise not to turn distractions on back unless and until you have at least done a task to finish (I mean, not half-done).
So I am done lecturing here. What do you think about these tips? Will they work for you?
Article by JaneSheeba
+Jane is the founder of Problogging Success. She is an expert blogger, consultant, freelance writer and blog designer. Don't forget to get your hands on two FREE Ebooks she offers.
Jane has written 259 awesome posts for Problogging Success.
Jane Sheeba has an excellent understanding of blogging and the issues bloggers need to learn like search engine optimization and link building. Her Blogging Action Plan breaks the information into manageable sections, with in-depth explanations for bloggers who really want to get to grips with the technical issues which will help them grow their blogs. This is an impressive resource for serious bloggers.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a really crucial advice for all of us, especially bloggers since we always seem to lack behind of posting and SEO things we decided. this really helps.
No a different note, what theme are you using Jane? is it genesis? looks cool and efficiently keeps the ads aways from the content
Well said Rohan. I follow the 10 minute rule especially when I am online and working for my blog. That really helps to keep distractions away.
BTW, I am using the Thesis Theme - a great SEO optimized theme. Highly recommended. Made my life so easy.
I have not heard a different opinion from anybody who uses thesis! everybody is a fan!
considering that even matt cutts himself uses it , there cant be a bigger endorsement than that!
Ten Minute rules can be implemented provided one is committed to do the task .
Well said Ayyangar. Commitment is the key.
Jane.
I haven’t spent much time working with the 10 minute rule. It’s something I need to work on. I tend to batch things in HUGE amounts of time; and that’s taxing. I’ll start experimenting with this method today. Thanks for the thoughts.
Hi Christian,
The 10 minute rule rocks actually. I get perfectly organized and have increased productivity when I work on this rule. As I say in this post I usually adopt this rule when I am online and work for my blog. This way I can stay away from distractions and at the same time accomplish much in less time, given that I have only less time for blogging (more time fo other things like Research, family etc.).
Jane.
This is another fantastic way of managing me time. I’m going to start implementing this right away.
If I learn to implement the 10mins rule, I’m definitely going to achieve a lot I my business. Most of the time, I schedule thing in 2 hrs and I get bored along the way.
Thanks for sharing this great tips
Hi Jane,
10 Minutes is a great rule to follow, and unfortunately I’m not one to follow it unless it’s a job I don’t like, and then I’m happy to limit it to 10 minutes. I usually use 15 minutes for a task for myself. It works for me. I have a timer on my computer that I set for the tasks I want to accomplish in the day with the time I’m allowing for each of the tasks. I also use a timer on my cell phone for things that I do away from the computer.
I guess there is no excuse for setting it more frequently and staying on task better. Thanks for the reminder!
Heather
Hi Jane! I really like the idea of working for 10-minute periods of time.
And you’re probably right that I should take more breaks than I do because I sit in front of the computer all day. That one os easier said than done, though, because it’s so hard to stop when you’re not yet finished!
Jane, aloha. Your first and last tip resonated with me the most. When I first started using social media, I found that I was wasting a log of time following the links in blogs, tweets and posts. While it made for interesting reading, very little was being accomplished. That’s when I learned to use a timer and, for me, it works beautifully. Many other people have appreciated the suggestion and implemented it as well.
Jane, I am in 100% agreement with you on eliminating the distractions. Again, I find it makes a huge difference for me. Whether I am answering e-mails or commenting on blogs, I have a system for each-and I follow that system.
As always, Jane, I appreciate your clear, actionable steps. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Hey Jane,
Thanks for the reminder. These are great ways to manage your time effectively.
I find taking breaks in between very helpful, keeps me refocused on the tasks at hand
All the best,
Mavis
Hi Jane,
now that’s cool advice. I have never heard of the 10 minute rule and I am glad you shared it with us because it makes a lot of sense to me. Any task can be divided in 10 minute chunks.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
Hi Jane,
I believe it will take me ten minutes to read and comment to this post. Now that wasn’t really fast, but I am getting there!
I once was so surprised to see Heather; the Clever Marketer herself, finishing her round of commenting to 10 blogs in our community within 30-40 minutes! I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Well, I believe it takes a lot of discipline and practice to do that. There are other factor as to the speed of which we do things (hmm, English being my second language is more of an excuse), but I must agree that we can make this 10-minute practice a habit.
Let’s see how well I can improve my productivity level over time. I’ll keep you posted, and thanks for the tips!
- Rowena
Hi Jane,
Time management is one of my biggest challenges. I like your 10 min rule strategy. Sitting at my desk all day, typing and reading is a big strain on the eyes.
I will have to implement this strategy over the next few days and see how it works for me, anything can help me right now.
Thanks for sharing Jane and have a great day!
Hi Jane,
Your point about eliminating distractions is a great one. It can be so easy to spend ages on Twitter reading posts and articles and the time just flies by!
I just check in to my account at set intervals throughout the day to avoid this.
I’m not sure about taking a short break every 10 minutes, I read somewhere else taking a 10 minute break every hour was effective. Maybe I’ll try both ways and see which works best for me.
I prefer the 55minutes rule for my daily tasks. This rule is quite similar to yours, but the time is 55 minutes. Then you’ll have 5 minutes to rest
Of course, both these two rules need commitment to be successful
I’m certainly with you on the 10 minute break Jane!
I’m still on the process of getting used to this rule and as of the moment 10 minutes is just too short for me. I’m making it to 20 minutes and I’m hoping that i’ll be able to complete the tasks not longer than 20 minutes. Time management is really necessary especially if you’re working at home. You need to allot your time not only for your business but as well as to your family. With my experience of this technique, i truly believe that this can help you be more productive and gets you closers to your goals.
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