Time.
As I continue on my journey, I find a greater appreciation for just how precious time truly is; when we are young, we're apt to feel that we have an abundance of time on our hands, and all the tasks of today are stepping stones towards what once felt like a far-off future.
But we learn quickly that the future isn't always as far away as we like to believe, and the pressures of adult life seem to be measured in terms of productivity; how efficiently can we meet the next deadline, the next due date, or the next "I have to finish this by [xx]."
Some folks work very well with deadlines and find that it helps with their motivation, but too often can a far-off deadline provoke the opposite effect where we procrastinate, leave tasks to be done right before the finish line, or lose our focus altogether.
Enter the concept of micro scheduling —a game-changing strategy that not only enhances productivity but also boosts mental clarity and keeps you ahead of the curve. It's a wonderful new time management method I came across while writing my module on efficient time blocking, and I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post about its hidden, underutilized power to transform your schedule into an actionable, organized series of manageable tasks.
What is Micro Scheduling?
Micro scheduling is a time management method that involves breaking down your schedule into tiny blocks of time, usually 5-15 minutes, and assigning tasks to each block. Similar to my last blog on time blocking, micro scheduling takes this to a new level, entirely.
Micro schedules allow you to organize tasks into actions that are smaller and short-term within a larger project timeline that can be inserted into or adapted to existing time blocks.
Instead of working toward a single, distant due date, you break your project into smaller tasks with their own particular deadlines and monitor your project progress with this new perspective. This approach creates a manageable sense of urgency without the overwhelming feeling of tackling the entire project at once.
For example, instead of “Finish the marketing campaign by the end of the month,” you could organize specific weekly time blocks and insert your micro deadlines like:
- Time block: 9:00AM - 11:15AM (Administrative Duties)
- 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Respond to project emails
- 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Draft project presentation slides
- 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Break
- 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM: Edit and send last Friday's meeting minutes.
Micro scheduling is adaptable to your time blocks and allows you to fit the demands of a larger project schedule into your daily routines. I went with a general 30 minute micro scheduling rule in my example, and it appears to be very popular, although there is nothing wrong with doing a 15 minute or 10 minute micro schedule if your situation calls for it.
For instance, the Administrative Duties time block in my example could mean a variety of things depending on your particular project, and micro scheduling simply helps break up that chunk of time into project-specific tasks that can change over time.
Benefits of Micro Scheduling
Micro scheduling fits cleanly into the known goal-setting framework I've written about many times -- short term goals need to align with goals intended to be achieved over a longer period. Too often do we fall into the trap of setting many short term goals, only to realize our project progress has barely moved forward. Micro scheduling keeps us in check by both guiding and being guided by the entire project.
Furthermore, micro scheduling helps to gain control over time and life by creating a schedule that is tailored to your individual needs, dependent on the project timeline. It helps to meet goals and achieve success by breaking down bigger project schedules into smaller, manageable tasks that have a direction.
The micro scheduling process also helps guard against every employee's worst nightmare: burnout. Micro scheduling can help to avoid burnout and decrease anxiety by providing a much-needed sense of structure and stability to the day, and allows us to maximize our limited work hours without dipping into our equally precious free time.
Effective Micro Scheduling Techniques
Choose a consistent time of day to make your micro schedules.
Depending on your personality and habits, you may find it easier to either plan the evening before, or the morning of the day of your micro schedule. Planning the night before can help to prioritize tasks and ensure a clear plan for the next day, but I personally find that planning in the morning instills a sense of momentum right off the bat.
Either way, choosing a time to plan can help to avoid last-minute decisions and stay focused on goals. The first step should begin with identifying your top priorities for the coming day, taking a quick look at your project schedules, and estimating task duration. Oftentimes we are juggling multiple projects at different stages of the project life cycle, so being strategic with this planning time helps to maximize your resource allocation decisions, and sets you up for project success.
Create mini-tasks for larger projects
Think of the big picture and take stock of what needs to be completed for the entire project. Look at the start dates, end dates, and resources needed in the long term. Oftentimes your project schedules can be broken down into smaller chunks that allow you to institute your own deadlines for those particular delivery dates, and keep the project life cycle in perspective.
What needs to be done, and in what order? Break down large goals from your project plan into smaller milestones, and then tailor your micro-schedules to those goals. These mini-tasks should be ones that can be completed within 30–60 minutes.
Breaking down bigger projects into smaller, manageable tasks can help to stay focused and on track. The mere act of breaking down can also make certain project activities and task dependencies more clear; for example, in breaking down a monthly project, you suddenly find that all the tasks require work from another department, meaning you can delegate and organize certain mini-tasks around their progress or suggest group tasks with a needed team member.
Stack your tasks (within reason)
I know I must sound like a broken record when I say this, but I deeply believe that it needs to be shouted from the rooftops for all employees in the workforce to hear: avoid multitasking. Not only is it inefficient, but you will quickly find that when you blur the boundaries between unrelated tasks, you divide your focus into too many overwhelming streams. Work hours bleed into free time, and the task lists become ever longer.
Instead, let's be smart about it. Stacking tasks can help to avoid multitasking and conserve energy. Stacking is different from multitasking in that stacking allows you to complete multiple tasks without dividing your attention. In other words, you complete one task while simultaneously making progress on another task.
Let me explain with an example:
- Multi-tasking: Read a book while trying to delete emails.
- Task stacking: Listen to an audiobook while organizing your emails.
- Multi-tasking: Complete multiple analyses and generate reports with graphs from different projects in the same hour.
- Task stacking: Complete one analysis and save the visualization color scheme for your next project figure.
Stacking your tasks can help you complete your projects in a smarter way where you use planning, scheduling, and time management to set yourself up for success down the road.
Add buffer time to account for unexpected tasks or delays
Adding buffer time to each task can help to account for unexpected events and stay on track, even if a curveball is thrown at you while you are in the midst of completing tasks assigned at the beginning of the day. In your micro scheduling process, you may find it helpful to overestimate by around 15 minutes per block.
Buffer time can also help to avoid feeling overwhelmed and increase sense of control, even when the events that require a buffer seem out of our control.
And importantly, don't include break time into your buffer time -- a break should be considered just as much of a "must" on your to do list as your other tasks needed to complete the project plan. Remember, it's a walk, not a mad dash to the finish line.
Using Project Scheduling to Enhance Micro Scheduling
Project scheduling can be used to enhance micro scheduling by providing a framework for breaking down bigger projects into smaller, manageable tasks. It gives you a starting point from which to build your schedules. It can also help to identify task dependencies, highlight unclear or unimportant project activities, and allocate resources effectively.
Project management and time management often go hand-in-hand, and I've discovered that thinking of them as partners in your project plan to be particularly helpful. By combining project scheduling with micro scheduling, individuals can create a powerful productivity system that helps them monitor their progress and achieve their goals.
With how advanced technology has become, some project managers may find their process enhanced through using a project scheduling software, many of which include tools such as the ability to assign tasks to yourself or a team member, track and update project activities as they are completed, and generate reports on project success based on internal milestones.
A team-based project scheduling software may be outside the scope of your needs, but even something as simple as a calendar application can improve your ability to organize and create achievable sub tasks throughout the course of a project pipeline.
Conclusion
At the end of each day, take some time to look over your progress and review your micro schedule. What went well? Did any tasks take longer than expected? Contrarily, did you overestimate how long each task would take to complete? Remember that life is all about direction, not perfection -- use these insights to refine your schedule for the next day or week.
My message has always been one of empowerment, and that is why I adore micro scheduling; besides being a useful productivity hack, it is also a method for reclaiming your time, attention, and success. I firmly believe that the human condition is about finding balance, and while a time management method like time blocking or micro scheduling seem small, I am confident that they will allow you to achieve mental clarity and find balance in your daily life.
