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Time is an Abstract Concept
The Mutewatch has already reached many places all over the world. Right now we sell our watch in stores in over 20 countries and from our online store to over 40 countries. As Mutewatch continues to grow and expand internationally, we want to meet and learn more and more about different people and their cultures.
Here in Sweden, many believe firmly in the idea that time is related to efficiency and that time is a fixed system that can be measured. However, if you would ask a person from a different culture they would most certainly provide you with a completely different definition of what time is to them. Time is an abstract concept; its definition differs between individuals, wherever you might go in the world.
I think that it’s important to learn about and to respect other cultures and their ideas about what time is, because they’re probably not the same as the ones we have in Sweden. For example in religions such as Hinduism, Jainism or Buddhism, it is assumed that time does not exist. People relate very differently to time (as we do with other things as well) and the important thing is to be aware that there are different viewpoints and that no view is less correct than the other.
If you are interested in reading about different cultures, I warmly recommend the book Alla Dessa Kulturer (in Swedish) written by Karin Sharma, a very wise woman with a Master of Science in Intercultural Communication.
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Clarify what defines what is important
Honey hunters of Nepal. Gurung men risk their lives to harvest the nests of the worlds largest honeybee by Eric Valli
Since time on our hands is limited, we cannot do everything that we come to think of, that we are asked to do, that we would like to do, that would possibly be a good idea to do. Some tasks we need to say no to entirely or postpone, while other tasks we do immediately.
Far too many I meet when helping people improve their structure at work live a single dimensional life, where things are urgent or they are not. They spend their days doing as many urgent tasks as they can manage, all the while having bad conscience for all the not urgent tasks that they postpone (until they are urgent) or not do at all. They work under constant stress and they feel as if everyone else than themselves rule their workday.
In order to take control over our own prioritization, we need to add a dimension. Because, some of those tasks that are not urgent and that we do not do, are really not important. So, it doesn’t really matter if we do them or not. We shouldn’t therefore feel bad for not doing them. Also, some of the urgent tasks are not important, which means that we might say no to doing them (at least for now), knowing that we do the correct prioritization for ourselves and for our business.
The trick is to know what defines the importance of a task. For me and for most, the defining factors are my work related goals. That is, what I need to accomplish in my position this year to help our organization as a whole accomplish what we have decided upon. The important tasks are those tasks that clearly contribute to me reaching the goals I am responsible for. The more specific and measurable the goals are defined, the easier it is for us to find those tasks that definitely lead to us reaching the gaols.
Without clarifiying what defines what is important, we are restricted to a one dimensional prioritization model, where we are left to do urgent tasks all day long. To me, that is not a worklife worth living.
David Stiernholm is a consultant who creates good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their people.
You can get his book “Klart! – Bli superstrukturerad på 31 dagar” here.
Get it!
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The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is our new favorite time management technique. Our friend Fabian Hemmert suggested we check it out when we met him in Austin for SXSW and a few weeks later our friend Devi Brunson recommended it. Funnily enough, this technique is something we named timeboxing back in the early days of Timetank. Btw, check out Fabian’s awesome TedTalk at TedxBerlin on the shape-shifting future of the mobile phone here.
So, how does the pomodoro technique work?
1. Choose a task to be accomplished 2. Set the your Mutewatch to 25 minutes 3. Work on the task until your Mutewatch vibrates then put a check on your sheet of paper 4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK) 5. Every four Pomodoros take a longer break.
Each set of 25 minutes of work + 5 minutes break (also called a “pomodoro slice”) makes up half an hour making it super easy to plan your day. Genius!
Read more at www.pomodorotechnique.com.
Ps. This can be done without a Mutewatch too. Just use your kitchen timer. But I tell you, it won’t be half as soothing as a silent vibration going off at your wrist.
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Ashkan & Karro
Ashkan and Karro on Rörstrandsgatan, Stockholm
“It’s strange how the watch changed my behaviour and the way I work in just one day. I’m aware of time in a whole new way now. Like how long 15 minutes actually are”, says Ashkan who bought his Mutewatch a couple of days ago.
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Let’s leave the loop of unrecorded tasks
Illustration by Hiroshi Manabe. Found here.
There is so much going on in my head. Working on one thing, I come to think of another. Waiting in line to check in for my flight, I find myself thinking of new things that need to be done in relation to the forthcoming release of that new product.
Few things feel more stress inducing than thinking more than once that I have to do something. I could easily fill my head with thoughts of just a handful of things I have to do, if I think of them over and over.
But, if I record what I have to do in a safe and swiftly reachable place, I free space in my consciousness for more valuable and inspiring thoughts. I am then able to effortlessly focus on the task at hand and I basically feel lighter.
So, what I strive for right now when it comes to productivity is to immediately make a note of all tasks that I come to think of, preferably directly in my to do-list. For me, the trigger is the second time I think “oh, yes, I need to [do that thing] and I know that it is not on my to do-list”.
I record a voice message for my assistant in the app Mailme Voice, I put a post it-note in my portable inbox or I open Things and enter the task right there.
To think of the same unrecorded task over and over makes me feel stressed and as if I have more on my plate that I am comfortable with. Instead, I want to work focused and relaxed and this is how I accomplish that.
What is your way?David Stiernholm is a consultant who creates good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their people.
His book “Klart! – Bli superstrukturerad på 31 dagar” is available from April 12th 2012, published by Roos & Tegnér.
You can pre-order it and buy it here.
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Doing Things In Advance
Picture found here
Lately, I have become slightly addicted to doing things far in advance. Sure, doing that, there is a risk that I do something now that I later will discover is not necessary to do at all. But at least in my daily life, there are plenty of tasks that I am sure I need to do, sooner or later.
Now and then, say, a couple of times a week, I pick out tasks on my to do list that is due in the future, maybe two months from now. Before doing what is on today’s to do list, I set aside half an hour to do these future tasks. Doing that, I feel as if I am wrapping a gift for my future self. A spring day in May, I will find that something I need to do in regard to a talk I will give is already completed – by me. I will think “Thank you, past David! You have made this day easier for me.”.
Of course, since I am ambitious and have a tendency to be too optimistic when it comes to time, I today still have some tasks that are past the date that I first thought was a suitable due date. Nonetheless, I let myself indulge in the pleasure of completing tasks well in advance. If I am already a day late by my own standards, thirty more minutes will not do any harm.
That is an investment in future wellbeing.
David Stiernholm is a consultant who creates good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their people.
His book “Klart! – Bli superstrukturerad på 31 dagar” is available from April 12th 2012, published by Roos & Tegnér.
You can pre-order it here.
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Time slots
13 water towers by Bernd and Hilla Becher
Time is a fleeting concept and somehow we still try to grasp it. We try to make it fit into how we see and organize our work.
More and more, I have categorized my tasks in my to do-list by how much time they will take to complete (together with the categorizations by project, context and customer).
To me, that is very helpful, since I tend to think about time in time slots. Sometimes, an hour consists to me of twelve five minute slots, in which I will be able to do twelve quick tasks. Now and then, I think of the next three hours as just one single slot and I look forward to all the writing I will fill it with.
Basically, I think in slots of five minutes, fifteen minutes, half an hour, one hour and three hours. So, when I am in “five minute mode”, I can quickly choose to see only those tasks that I could complete within five minutes each, since I have categorized the tasks accordingly.
My to do-list is adjusted to suit how I work. Not the other way around.
David Stiernholm is a consultant who creates good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their people.
His book “Klart! – Bli superstrukturerad på 31 dagar” is available from April 12th 2012, published by Roos & Tegnér.
You can pre-order it here.
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Add Mutewatch to the Recipe
Yesterday I talked to one of our customers in the UK who told me that since he got his Mutewatch, he no longer burns his meals. We love hearing all about the different ways in which you use your Mutewatches.
The philosophy behind Mutewatch is to inspire people to use their time in ways that make them happy. Our designers, Norra Norr, chose to tilt the screen towards the user so as to show that it’s your time.
It hit me that we often write about how to use time here on Timetank, without actually adding Mutewatch to the context. It’s like writing a cook book without including your favourite flavours.
And, in fact, the time management tips on our blog are like a collection of recipes on how to make things more simple and joyful. They work both with and without a Mutewatch. However, having a Mutewatch on your wrist just might be that extra spice that makes you feel on top of things.
Do keep on emailing us with your stories of how you use your Mutewatch – it puts a bright smile on our faces every single time. The address is feedback@mutewatch.com – or send one to me at mai-li@mutewatch.com.
All our love.
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Maintain Your Lists
An often overseen, seemingly small structural mistake is to write our tasks too brief and abbreviated on our to do-list. I experienced the effects of this as recently as today, when I was following up how one of my mentees had succeeded during the week that had passed since the last time I met him.
We were browsing through his tasklist and suddenly he stopped at one of the tasks and said: “What do I mean by this?”. He paused for a while, looked slightly perplexed and four long seconds later he said “Oh, now I know. Of course.”
The description of the task contained the verb “check” and a two letter abbreviation of a colleague’s name. Those two components alone made the task hard to understand and forced him to stop, lose his pace and have to think a once thought thought again (with no added value). Fortunately, he was not in a hurry this time, since we had set aside three hours for our work. But it could just as well have been a short moment in an ordinary, intense day when he wanted to quickly get an overview of what he had to do today, in order to find the task with the highest priority. To over and over have to stop and think when browsing the task list is devastating for our productivity.
That is why we should invest the extra three seconds it takes to define a task circumstantially and clearly, every time. The benefit thereof definitely exceeds the cost (in time & effort).
And, beware of hazy verbs like “check”, “fix”, “deal with” and “manage”. Instead, choose verbs such as “call”, “send”, “ask”, “explain”, “tell”, as they more specifically describe what it really is that you do when you “manage”.
Less time figuring out means more time doing.
David Stiernholm is a consultant who creates good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their people.
His book “Klart! – Bli superstrukturerad på 31 dagar” is available from April 12th 2012, published by Roos & Tegnér.
You can pre-order it hear
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The Science of Keeping Time
Neil Degrasse Tyson
A few weeks ago one of my favorite podcasts, Star Talk with Neil Degrasse Tyson, had an episode completely dedicated to the science of timekeeping. It’s great. Download it to your listening device and listen to it. You’ll learn all about leap seconds and other fun time related stuff. Naturally, they also talked about the Mayans. And, if you like podcasts, you’ll love that Nerdists Chris Hardwick and Matt Mira where the studio guests.
Give it a listen!
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