IPhone timer boosts productivity and improves time management
A timer is a cornerstone of productivity. My iPhone has a countdown timer, alarm and stopwatch, and it is one of my every-day applications. It has changed the way I work. Here are some of the uses I have found so far:
- Reminder alarms. A friend complained that he always misses a weekly presentation in our department. I was surprised. This is one of the main uses for my phone alarms - telling me when to attend meetings, leave work to get home on time, leave for swimming lessons. Most of the time I am already organised, but the alarm catches me when I am caught up in something else. This solution prevents calender alarms double-dinging on your phone and computer.
- Inbox clearing, by the clock. A Getting Things Done rule of thumb is to immediately do any task that will take less than 2 minutes, if you ever intend to complete it. Without a timer, I assume things will take longer, and process them to task lists instead. Using a timer helps me get more done, more quickly.
- Lab countdown timer. Countdown timers are really useful in the lab, and for short times, I usually just use one of the supplied digital timers. However, if I have a timer for over 30 minutes, where I will leave the lab and do other work, I use the timer on my iPhone, so I am not carrying my phone and a timer with me.
- Keep track.When my son was very little, and I cared more, I used to hit the stopwatch when he went to sleep, so that I could keep a track of how long he slept. I have now come to terms with his lack of sleep, and realize tracking it makes me depressed. I also use this for tracking cooking times, meeting times, lunch breaks - anything where time might be an issue.
- Keeping involved. Sometimes, when life is chaotic, I escape. To a chair, to a corner, to my office; somewhere. I set a timer to make sure I only retreat for the time I need.
- Catching the retiring office-mate. Some of my supervisors are hard to catch. If I know when they are due, I set a timer and forget it. Then I have a better chance to hijack them when they return. (This one has the interesting advantage (over time) of discovering if the assistant is fobbing you off).
Some people won’t need the support of a timer. I am not so good at keeping all the balls in the air. To know I have a reminder that I trust, lets me focus on my real task at hand. I’m not sure how much more I get done, but I am happy to lose the stress of trying to remember.
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