Our unobtrusive digital timer. For over 19 years it has been on the refrigerator, held on with a magnet. A very simple digital timer. Nothing fancy. One button for minutes, one button for seconds, and one button to start and stop the timer. Who knew that something so simple and inexpensive would be the key to boosting my productivity.

If you have never tried this, you might be wondering how using a timer makes a difference in boosting productivity or who can benefit from this. Well, if you have ever felt frustrated in your attempts for overcoming procrastination, then you know that sometimes the hardest part of doing something is getting started. When you use a timer, it provides you with a definite "START" moment. Your mind knows that when the timer starts, you have only one thing to do: Work on your task at hand for 15 minutes. Anyone can do something for 15 minutes, right?  Right!

(Knowing that I wanted to begin and complete this article today, I have just written the above paragraph in a 15 minute interval.)

Before you can know what to start on, it really helps to write a list.  Basically, there are two types of lists:  The Project List and The Daily Routine List.  For the first list, take some time to determine what you need to complete, from household or office projects to information gathering tasks.  On the second list, outline what you need to do daily to keep your home running smoothly and if applicable a separate list for job related daily tasks.  

When you make your Daily Routine List make sure to build in a slot to begin working on at least one item from your Project List. 

Every night before I go to bed I make my list for the next day. I try to limit the list to 12 items. Actually, it's easy to do this since my paper is small and only has 12 lines!

Each morning, with timer and list in hand,  I have a direction, purpose and sense of structure to my day. Though I try to create the list in the order I want to proceed, it's not carved in stone, just like the 15 minutes on the timer is not a inflexible number.  When I'm working and the timer goes off after 15 minutes, I decide then if I want to stop working or keep on going. On my routine  Daily Tasks,  the 15 minutes gives me the "oomph" I need to get them completed quickly. Sometimes,  once I get past the starting point of a project I feel so good about myself that I work longer.  Other times, I stop for the day  knowing that I completed my goal of 15 minutes,  then move on to the next task.

Multi-tasking has it's place...but not all the time. I've read that the brain can only do one thing at a time, so trying to juggle multiple tasks usually leads to poor performance and incomplete work. Instead of multi-tasking, I believe that "pairing" compatible tasks works far better. Haven't heard of "pairing"? Could be that I invented the term!

Here's an example of "pairing": Put the laundry on to wash, set the timer for 15 minutes, begin another task on my list, when the 15 minute timer goes off, go put in the fabric softener. Set the timer for 15 minutes, complete another task. After 15 minutes put the clothes in the dryer, and move on to the next project.

Another example of something I "pair" daily is in the kitchen. I'm a big hot tea drinker, so every morning while I wait for my tea water to boil, I unload the dishwasher. It may not sound like a barrier breaking accomplishment, but who hasn't procrastinated unloading the dishwasher before, only to get frustrated when you are ready to load it and find it full of clean dishes?

To keep my household running smoothly I have household tasks, some I do everyday and others I do once a week. From within these tasks I have discovered ways to "pair" a few items as well.

Since I'm neither Wonder Woman nor Martha Stewart I usually have a couple of unfinished items on my list. Some days it's because I get over zealous and add more than 12 "to-do's", other times it's because I don't stay focused, don't use my timer and waste time. My big "time stealer" is watching TV. Since at the end of the day when I review my list and I see that I'm being less productive than usual, I have the opportunity to "get real" with myself and re-commit to having a more productive day tomorrow.

If I actually am being productive, working my list and using my timer but still not finishing everything on my list, I don't loose my confidence or revert back to putting things off. Instead, I realize that I'm doing better than before, I've overcome procrastination, and find a touch of motivation from Scarlett O'Hara's famous line: "After all, tomorrow is anotha' day".

Going from the structure provided by the daily routine of running our business to the non-structured lifestyle of retirement, I knew I didn't want to waste my time and get lazy. Sure, retirement means less demands, but there are always going to be things that need to be done...I just didn't want my time to be consumed by doing them...slowly.

What motivates me to be productive and manage my time? In retirement I've realized that I finally have the chance to develop and build a website! Now, instead of drifting through the day doing a little here and a little there, I look forward to finishing tasks, staying on track with projects and working on building and promoting my new business. Whether you are retired or not, once you get organized and boost your productivity, you might find that you have the time to learn something new!