Insurance professionals are busy people. I should know; I spent longer than desired yesterday trying to set up an appointment with my auto insurance agent.

So when I read about time boxing today on David Cheong's blog, I thought of you guys and gals.

What's time boxing?

Cheong describes time boxing as a time management technique which involves delegating a certain period of time—say, 30 minutes—for a specific task or project, and doing the best you can on that task in the time allotted. Then, the project is either marked as “done” at the end of the time period, or you commit another 30 minutes to the task on another day.

Cheong points out that time boxing is so efficient because there are always numerous things competing for our time.

Accordingly, time boxing works because:

1. By being time-conscious, you can focus on the projects that matter most
2. It shows you how much time you’re spending on open-ended tasks
3. The time constraints ward off procrastination
4. It allows you to work on things during the free gaps between other commitments and appointments

Starting Monday (since we’re nearing closing time here on this Friday afternoon), I’ll be giving this time boxing thing a try.

In our creative marketing group, we find that we have so much going on that we have a hard time prioritizing important and urgent projects. As a result, some of the really important stuff—including our passion projects—gets left behind. And that’s not good for anyone.

Take a look at Cheong’s posts about time boxing here and here. Give it a shot and let me know if and how it helps you manage your busy days.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Oh, and if you want to watch a man eat ten hamburgers in one sitting, check out this week's InsureMe Insurance Blog Wrap-Up here.