So I went online to read about the 20 minute rule. Basically, it means that you spend 20 minutes on something for at least 30 days consistently so that you turn it into a habit. However, that is not the only benefit about this rule.
With so much tasks on my daily to-do list and never having enough time to do them all, I became a bit frustrated. That is why I decided to experiment a little bit with this rule. All my most important tasks are now divided into 20 chunks. I work 20 minutes on each task before I move to the next one. 20 times 20 boils down to 400 minutes of work. That’s about 6.5 hours of work in which I can spend attention to all my tasks and goals. If there is enough time and energy left in the day, then I start the cycle again from the beginning.
It is certainly challenging as 20 minutes is not a lot of time in which you can work on a task. However, small pieces of work done daily and consistently add up over time. What’s more, not doing them at all because of being unorganized, to busy or out of time is a lot worse.
Another benefit of the 20 minute rule is that you push yourself to work faster. You really want to round something up in that short amount of time that you have. It might take a day before you see that task again, so dwelling on it for an undefined length of time is no option. Can’t get it done but feel a strong urge to continue? That’s a good sign as it means you’re motivated. Stop and save that motivation for the next round or the next day.
And if you don’t feel motivated to do a task? Then this method might be great for you as well. 20 minutes is a small enough time chunk to get through anything, even if it is the most dreadful or boring task in the history of tasks. If it would be 60 minutes, you would feel a stronger need to procrastinate. So start now by dividing your daily to-do list in chunks of 20 minutes and notice the increase in your productivity and your results.
Don’t forget to take really short breaks between tasks to reset your mind. Also, insert a bigger break after a couple of task sessions so that your mind doesn’t get too exhausted. Having frequent breaks will increase your productivity as well.