An easy way to divide a large task into small tasks is to cut with time. (*1) I introduced it shortly in (1.3.4.3) Divide the task by time.
- *1: “cut with time” is a direct translation from Japanese. It means to divide task according to time.
Especially the method of fixing the time instead of deciding the time according to the task is called “timeboxing” with the image “put the task into a box of fixed size.”
There are two ways to cut tasks: cutting by volume and cutting by time. *2
If there are many tasks of similar granularity and the time taken for each piece is not very long, you can cut it by volume. For example, suppose you are learning a foreign language, the tasks to translate short sentences into your native language is small similar granularity tasks. Even if there are 100 sentences, you can divide them into 10 sentences each. *3
- *2: The way to break a task is not only two.
- *3: Another example is muscle training.
On the other hand, you can use the method of cutting with time even if the time taken for one task is long. In particular, it fits for tasks with unclear achievement condition, such as “gather information about a certain field” or “brush up presentation materials.”
- (2.3.2.1) Limit of concentration
- (2.3.2.2) Pomodoro technique
- (2.3.2.3) Train estimation skill
- (2.3.2.4) TaskChute: method to estimate time in minutes
- (Column) PDCA cycle
- (2.3.2.5) Measure, dismiss, put together