One Task, One Deadline: Unlock Your Productivity with Time Blocking

Respect Your Deadline Like It’s A Field Marshal

-Neeraj Agnihotri

A deadline can be your most powerful ally or your worst nightmare.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is the decision is yours.

Since you’re One Smart Cookie, I know you chose Ally. Because, well, who in their right mind would intentionally seek out their worst nightmare?

All joking aside, for writers, there is no better ally, no better friend, than the deadline.

And not just big deadlines like your First Draft Deadline or your Publication Date… but little tiny deadlines too, like a 15-minute deadline to write a blog post or a 30-minute deadline to write 500 or 1,000 words (your choice).

These mini-deadlines are powerful motivators because they push you to accomplish more in less time. 

One task, one deadline, repeat.

It’s called time blocking – setting a specific amount of time aside to complete a single task.

Experience the power of time blocking with this exercise.

Set Your Goal: You will write the 1st draft of 4 blog posts in 60 minutes.

• Step 1. Set a 15-minute timer on your smartphone 

• Step 2. Open a blank document and write until the timer expires. (Yes, that means you stop writing in the middle of a sentence, if that’s where you are.)

•  Step 3. Reset your 15-minute timer on your smartphone 

• Step 4. Open a new blank document and write until the timer expires. 

• Step 5. Reset your 15-minute timer on your smartphone 

• Step 6. Open a new blank document and write until the timer expires. 

• Step 7. Reset your 15-minute timer on your smartphone 

• Step 8. Open a new blank document and write until the timer expires.

In 60 minutes you completed the first draft of 4 separate blog posts. This is the awesome power of time blocking. Share on X

Time blocking and task batching are two small pieces of the puzzle that is your complete, detailed Roadmap for Author Success.

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