My Organizing Obsession: Timers
It may not surprise you about my obsession with timers. A timer is a vital tool for time management. It’s a monitoring device as well as an accountability tool. There are so many uses for a picket timer. A slim, digital, easy to set timer can help you in a myriad of ways. Timers comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Keep it simple with an easy to use timer that fits in a pocket.
At home
- Reminder to check the washer or dryer. You may be in another part of the house and need an auditory reminder to move your clothes to the next step.
- Reminder to turn off the the sprinkler. You’re inside and the sprinkler is outside. A timer helps you water the whole lawn.
- Reminder to get ready for bed. You may need a reminder so you are in bed on time.
- Set your timer for 10 minutes of daily distribution of items to put away with your family. Together you pick up the house and everything is back in order.
- Set your timer for 10 minutes of paper management. Everyone can do 10 minutes of paper sorting.
At work
- Reminder to make a phone call at a certain time. You won’t want to miss an important call to a client.
- Count down to a meeting. You get busy and distracted and need a reminder of when to stop to in order to be on time for a meeting.
- Pomodoro method working in 20 – 45 minute increments. You work for a specific amount of time on an important project and take a 5 minute break. Do this for 3 sessions and see how much you have accomplished.
- Stay focused for your power hour.
- Schedule cage for a task. A timer gives you boundaries to start and finish a task. These boundaries are just like a physical boundary, or cage, to help you stay on task.
For your student
- Reminder to start homework. Once your student is at home, set a timer to count down until homework time starts.
- Beat the clock to finish homework. Does homework drag on? Help your student focus and work hard with a set time to finish. A timer can also help your student break big homework assignments into manageable pieces.
- Reminder to pick up and place the backpack by the landing strip. Get everything ready for the next day with a timer. Just 5 minutes and everything is ready to go.
I’d love to learn what you use your timer for! What uses have you found for a timer?
I love using timers for many things. My favorite type of timer is the Time Timer because it allows you to visually see time ticking away.
I love the time timer too! It’s a great tool for those more visual.
I seem to either be very distracted when I work, or something get so deeply focused that I lose track of time. Both situations are eased by the use of a timer! Teaching people to take advantage of this powerful (and simple) tool is a great idea.
It’s amazing what a difference a small timer makes!
Love timers too. I’m a huge fan of Time Timer too. I like the physical products, although they have an electronic (app) versions too. It helps us to “see” time elapsing. I find it especially useful when I’m running meetings or workshops. It has a visual only (non-auditory) mode option. So it’s also great for developing time awareness.
I love the time timer! It’s especially silent so that makes it a great option if a ticking sounds is a distraction.