Adult-Savy Tools for Time Management

Written By: Kimberly Wilson, LCPC

Time blindness, lack of motivation, difficulty with focus and follow-through; these are experiences that most of us can say we are familiar with.

Difficulties with time perception is often mislabeled as “laziness” or lack of motivation. With the right support, we can shift this mentality into feeling more encouraged and strengthening our routines.

A visual timer takes away the mental task of checking the time. When you are engaging in a demanding task, a visual representation of how much longer you need to work helps simplify the steps your brain is processing!

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Choosing the Right Combination for You:

A visual timer shows time but does not dictate how long you should stay on a task, that part is up to you. Although frequent task changes can be difficult to readjust focus, there are a variety of time strategies to fit your needs and the task at hand.

For starters, you may want to break for 5 minutes every 25 minutes. This may be difficult depending on the depth of the work, so it really depends on the type of task you are looking to complete.

A method known as the “extended pomodoro” explains that you can use a pattern of time to work for 45-50 minutes and then take a 10-15 minute break. For more complex work that needs more time to complete, you might work for 60-90 minutes and break for 15-30 minutes.

Others tend to function best in the “flow time” method of work, which is working until you feel a natural pause. A visual timer may not be necessary in this case, however it could help you distinguish between how much time you have spent on a task within a set period of time.

Some people, especially those with perfectionist habits, or those who struggle with anxiety, may find that watching a countdown increases stress. If countdown timers cause anxiety, consider placing the timer at the edge of your vision. This way you can glance occasionally, but not stare or hyper-focus on it. Using a timer that shows the remaining time as a shape or color rather than numbers can also reduce stress. In addition, you can start with longer stretches of time. This will make the time feel that it is passing less urgently.

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Steps For Your First Visual Timer Routine:

Pick a work or study task that you feel can be completed within an hour. Be specific, such as saying “draft the project proposal” instead of “work on the proposal.”

Decide a total session length, such as 60-90 minutes, including breaks.

Choose an amount of time and set up the visual timer. If you are new to timers, you may like to start with 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of break. Set your visual timer to 25 minutes. If using a phone app, enable Do Not Disturb mode. (If you feel that your phone will distract you, looking into a physical visual timer might be a good option!)

Clear distractions and start the first focused section of time. Clearing distractions might mean closing unnecessary browser tabs, silencing notifications and placing your phone out of reach. Once you press start, you should plan to commit to working only on your chosen task until the timer ends.

Take the planned break exactly when the timer ends. Set your timer for the break as well if you feel like you might spend too long in a rest period. Stand up, stretch, get water, play with your pet, or look out a window. It is important to not check emails or social media during the break!

Repeat this for 2 to 3 cycles, then reflect and adjust time lengths. Once you have completed your session, take notes on what you accomplished and reflect on how the sections of time felt. This way, next time you can adjust the time duration or keep them the same.

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Final Thoughts:

Keep in mind with all of these ideas and techniques, that the right visual timer setup is the one you will actually use. In order to find this and feel you benefit the most from it, you may have to experiment with the method and following through! Start simple and be patient with yourself as you learn and build a new strategy. When you think of a visual timer as a support, you will develop it into exactly what you need!

Learn more on how to support kids in this way by reading these other blog posts centered around the child's perspective and use of visual timers: