Title: Time Management — LearnCoachAssist

Q: What is time management?
A: The process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.

Q: What is the Pomodoro Technique?
A: A time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo that uses a timer to break work into 25-minute focused intervals (pomodoros) separated by 5-minute breaks.

Q: How long is a standard Pomodoro interval?
A: 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute short break.

Q: What happens after completing four Pomodoros?
A: You take a longer break of 15–30 minutes before starting the next cycle.

Q: What are the five steps of the Pomodoro Technique?
A: 1. Choose a task 2. Set timer for 25 min 3. Work until timer rings 4. Take a short break 5. After four pomodoros, take a long break.

Q: Why does the Pomodoro Technique work?
A: It reduces the psychological barrier of starting work, combats procrastination by making tasks feel finite, and trains sustained attention in manageable bursts.

Q: What should you do if you finish a task before the Pomodoro ends?
A: Use the remaining time for overlearning — review, improve, or polish the work until the timer rings.

Q: What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
A: A prioritisation framework that categorises tasks into four quadrants based on two dimensions: urgency and importance.

Q: Who popularised the Eisenhower Matrix?
A: President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who said: "What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important." Later popularised by Stephen Covey.

Q: What are the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix?
A: Q1: Urgent & Important (Do) · Q2: Not Urgent & Important (Schedule) · Q3: Urgent & Not Important (Delegate) · Q4: Not Urgent & Not Important (Eliminate).

Q: Which Eisenhower quadrant should receive the most proactive attention?
A: Quadrant 2 (Important but Not Urgent) — strategic planning, relationship building, personal development, and prevention activities.

Q: What types of tasks fall into Eisenhower Q1 (Do)?
A: Crises, pressing deadlines, emergency repairs, last-minute preparations — tasks that are both urgent and important.

Q: What types of tasks fall into Eisenhower Q3 (Delegate)?
A: Interruptions, some emails, some meetings, other people's minor requests — tasks that feel urgent but are not truly important to your goals.

Q: What types of tasks fall into Eisenhower Q4 (Eliminate)?
A: Time-wasters like excessive social media, trivial busywork, and activities that are neither urgent nor important.

Q: What is time blocking?
A: A scheduling method where you divide your day into discrete blocks of time, each dedicated to a specific task or category of tasks.

Q: What is the key benefit of time blocking over a simple to-do list?
A: It assigns tasks to specific time slots, ensuring important work gets dedicated time rather than being squeezed between reactive tasks.

Q: What is day theming?
A: A form of time blocking where you assign an entire day to a single focus area (e.g., Monday = Marketing, Tuesday = Product Development).

Q: What is task batching?
A: Grouping similar tasks together and completing them in a single dedicated time block to minimise context-switching costs.

Q: Give three examples of tasks suitable for batching.
A: 1. Email replies 2. Phone calls 3. Administrative paperwork — all benefit from being done in one focused session.

Q: What is the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)?
A: The observation that roughly 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Named after economist Vilfredo Pareto.

Q: How does the Pareto Principle apply to time management?
A: Identify the 20% of activities that produce 80% of your desired outcomes and prioritise those; reduce or eliminate the low-impact 80%.

Q: Who first observed the 80/20 distribution?
A: Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who noticed that 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population.

Q: What is Getting Things Done (GTD)?
A: A personal productivity methodology by David Allen that externalises all tasks and commitments into a trusted system, freeing the mind for focused execution.

Q: What are the five stages of the GTD workflow?
A: 1. Capture 2. Clarify 3. Organise 4. Reflect 5. Engage.

Q: What does "Capture" mean in GTD?
A: Collecting every task, idea, and commitment into an inbox — a trusted external system — so nothing stays in your head.

Q: What does "Clarify" mean in GTD?
A: Processing each inbox item by asking: "Is it actionable?" If yes, determine the next action. If not, trash it, file it, or defer it.

Q: What is the GTD 2-minute rule?
A: If a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it immediately rather than adding it to your system.

Q: What is the "Next Action" in GTD?
A: The very next physical, visible action required to move a project forward — e.g., "Email John the draft proposal."

Q: What is a "Waiting For" list in GTD?
A: A list tracking tasks you have delegated or are waiting on someone else to complete, with dates, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Q: What is a "Someday/Maybe" list in GTD?
A: A parking lot for ideas and projects you might want to pursue but are not committed to right now.

Q: What does the GTD Weekly Review involve?
A: Reviewing all inboxes, updating project lists, checking "Waiting For" items, and ensuring your system is current and complete. Typically done once a week.

Q: What is Deep Work?
A: A concept by Cal Newport defined as professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive abilities to their limit.

Q: What is Shallow Work?
A: Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks often performed while distracted — e.g., answering emails, scheduling meetings. These tasks are easy to replicate.

Q: Name the four rules of Deep Work from Cal Newport's book.
A: 1. Work Deeply 2. Embrace Boredom 3. Quit Social Media 4. Drain the Shallows.

Q: What are the four Deep Work scheduling philosophies?
A: Monastic (eliminate all shallow) · Bimodal (long deep-work retreats) · Rhythmic (daily deep-work habit) · Journalistic (deep work whenever possible).

Q: What is the Rhythmic Philosophy of deep work?
A: Scheduling a fixed daily time block for deep work, turning it into a consistent habit (e.g., 6–8 AM every morning).

Q: What is attention residue?
A: The phenomenon where your mind continues thinking about a previous task after switching to a new one, reducing performance on the current task. Coined by Sophie Leroy.

Q: How can you minimise attention residue?
A: Complete tasks before switching, use shutdown rituals, and batch similar work to reduce the number of transitions.

Q: What is a shutdown ritual in deep work?
A: A consistent end-of-day process where you review tasks, make a plan for tomorrow, and say a shutdown phrase to signal your brain that work is done.

Q: What is energy management vs. time management?
A: Energy management focuses on matching tasks to your biological energy levels throughout the day, rather than just allocating time slots.

Q: What are ultradian rhythms?
A: Natural 90–120 minute cycles of peak alertness followed by 20-minute troughs, discovered by sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman.

Q: How should you use ultradian rhythms for productivity?
A: Schedule your most demanding work during peak energy phases (~90 minutes) and rest or do lighter tasks during troughs (~20 minutes).

Q: What is your chronotype?
A: Your body's natural preference for being active at certain times of day — common types include morning larks, night owls, and third birds (in-between).

Q: Name three ways to manage personal energy throughout the day.
A: 1. Align difficult tasks with peak energy times 2. Take regular breaks 3. Manage nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

Q: What is Parkinson's Law?
A: "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." Setting shorter deadlines can increase focus and efficiency.

Q: How can you use Parkinson's Law productively?
A: Set artificial tight deadlines for tasks so work doesn't expand unnecessarily — e.g., give yourself 30 minutes instead of an hour for a report draft.

Q: What is the Zeigarnik Effect?
A: The tendency to remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones. It creates mental tension that can be harnessed or relieved by writing tasks down.

Q: How does the Zeigarnik Effect relate to GTD?
A: By capturing all open loops in a trusted system, you relieve the mental tension of unfinished tasks, freeing cognitive resources.

Q: What is Eat the Frog?
A: A productivity strategy by Brian Tracy: do your most challenging or dreaded task first thing in the morning when willpower is highest.

Q: What is the origin of the "Eat the Frog" saying?
A: Often attributed to Mark Twain: "If the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the day knowing the worst is behind you."

Q: What is the ABCDE method of prioritisation?
A: Rank tasks as: A = Must do (serious consequences) · B = Should do (mild consequences) · C = Nice to do · D = Delegate · E = Eliminate.

Q: What is the Ivy Lee Method?
A: At the end of each day, write down the six most important tasks for tomorrow, rank them by priority, and work through them in order the next day.

Q: Who created the Ivy Lee Method?
A: Productivity consultant Ivy Lee in 1918, when advising Bethlehem Steel executive Charles Schwab.

Q: What is the 1-3-5 Rule?
A: A daily planning technique: commit to accomplishing 1 big thing, 3 medium things, and 5 small things each day.

Q: What is timeboxing?
A: Allocating a fixed maximum amount of time to an activity in advance, then stopping when the timebox expires regardless of completion.

Q: How does timeboxing differ from time blocking?
A: Time blocking reserves time on a calendar; timeboxing adds a hard deadline constraint — you must stop or deliver when the box ends.

Q: What is the Planning Fallacy?
A: The tendency to underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating their benefits. Identified by Kahneman and Tversky.

Q: How can you counteract the Planning Fallacy?
A: Use reference class forecasting — estimate based on how long similar tasks took in the past rather than your optimistic intuition.

Q: What is Hofstadter's Law?
A: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law." A humorous reminder to add buffer time.

Q: What is the two-list strategy attributed to Warren Buffett?
A: Write your top 25 goals, circle the top 5, and avoid the remaining 20 at all costs — they are dangerous distractions.

Q: What is the MoSCoW prioritisation method?
A: Categorise requirements as: Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won't have (this time) to clarify priorities.

Q: What is the RICE scoring model?
A: A prioritisation framework: Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort = priority score for each initiative.

Q: What is the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)?
A: An agile prioritisation method: Cost of Delay ÷ Job Duration. Higher scores indicate jobs that should be done first.

Q: What is context switching and why is it harmful?
A: Shifting attention between unrelated tasks. Each switch incurs a cognitive cost — research suggests it can reduce productivity by up to 40%.

Q: Name three strategies to reduce context switching.
A: 1. Batch similar tasks 2. Use time blocking 3. Close unnecessary tabs/notifications during focused work.

Q: What is the "Do Not Disturb" protocol for deep work?
A: Communicating to colleagues that you are in a focused work block — e.g., using a signal (headphones, door sign, Slack status) and checking messages only at set times.

Q: What are the four types of procrastination triggers (Tim Pychyl)?
A: Tasks that are boring, frustrating, difficult, ambiguous, unstructured, or lacking personal meaning.

Q: What is implementation intention and how does it fight procrastination?
A: A plan in the form "When situation X arises, I will perform response Y." Pre-deciding when and where to act increases follow-through.

Q: What is temptation bundling?
A: Pairing a task you need to do with something you enjoy — e.g., listening to a favourite podcast only while exercising.

Q: What is the 5-minute rule for procrastination?
A: Commit to working on a task for only 5 minutes. Starting is the hardest part; once begun, you often continue past the initial commitment.

Q: What is the Seinfeld Strategy (Don't Break the Chain)?
A: Mark an X on a calendar for every day you complete a habit. The growing chain of Xs motivates you not to break the streak.

Q: What is the difference between active and passive procrastination?
A: Active procrastination is a deliberate choice to work under deadline pressure; passive procrastination is avoidance driven by anxiety or indecision.

Q: What is the "Swiss Cheese" method for large tasks?
A: Poke holes in a large task by completing small pieces whenever you have spare time, gradually reducing the task's intimidation factor.

Q: What is a time audit?
A: Tracking how you actually spend your time over a period (typically 1–2 weeks) to identify patterns, time-wasters, and opportunities for improvement.

Q: Name three common time-wasting activities identified in time audits.
A: 1. Excessive email checking 2. Unnecessary meetings 3. Social media scrolling during work hours.

Q: What is the "Maker's Schedule vs. Manager's Schedule" concept?
A: From Paul Graham: Makers (programmers, writers) need long uninterrupted blocks; managers operate in 1-hour slots. Mixing the two harms maker productivity.

Q: How should meetings be scheduled for maker-type workers?
A: Cluster meetings at the edges of the day (early morning or late afternoon) to preserve large uninterrupted blocks for deep work.

Q: What is the 50/10 Rule for meetings?
A: Limit meetings to 50 minutes (instead of 60) to give attendees a 10-minute buffer for breaks, notes, and transition.

Q: What are the three key elements of an effective meeting?
A: 1. A clear agenda distributed in advance 2. Defined roles (facilitator, note-taker) 3. Action items with owners and deadlines at the end.

Q: What is a "stand-up" meeting?
A: A short daily meeting (typically 15 minutes) where team members stand and share: what they did, what they'll do, and any blockers.

Q: What is the "two-pizza rule" for meetings?
A: Attributed to Jeff Bezos: never have a meeting where two pizzas couldn't feed the entire group — smaller groups make faster, better decisions.

Q: What is a "decision journal" and how does it improve time use?
A: A log recording each significant decision, the reasoning, and expected outcomes. Reviewing it helps identify patterns of poor time allocation.

Q: What is the "touch it once" principle?
A: When you encounter a task or email, deal with it immediately (respond, file, delegate, or schedule) rather than revisiting it multiple times.

Q: What is the 4 Ds of time management?
A: A quick decision framework for incoming tasks: Do it, Delegate it, Defer it, or Delete it.

Q: What is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness?
A: Efficiency is doing things right (speed, cost); effectiveness is doing the right things (impact, value). Good time management requires both.

Q: What is a "Most Important Task" (MIT) system?
A: Identifying 1–3 critical tasks each day that would make the day successful even if nothing else gets done. Complete these first.

Q: What is the concept of "biological prime time"?
A: The period during the day when your energy and focus are at their peak. Tracked over 2–3 weeks by monitoring alertness levels hourly.

Q: What is single-tasking?
A: Focusing on one task at a time to completion before moving to the next. Research shows it is significantly more productive than multitasking.

Q: Why is multitasking a myth for complex cognitive work?
A: The brain doesn't truly do two complex tasks simultaneously — it rapidly switches between them, losing time and accuracy with each switch.

Q: What is the "Power Hour"?
A: Dedicating the first hour of your workday (or your peak energy period) exclusively to your most important project with zero interruptions.

Q: What is a "weekly review" in time management?
A: A scheduled time (typically Friday or Sunday) to review accomplishments, update task lists, align with goals, and plan the upcoming week.

Q: What is the "Sunday night prep" strategy?
A: Spending 30–60 minutes on Sunday evening to plan the upcoming week: reviewing goals, scheduling key tasks, and preparing materials.

Q: What is the "90-day goal" framework?
A: Breaking annual goals into quarterly sprints of 90 days, making goals more tangible and allowing regular reassessment and pivoting.

Q: What is the difference between urgent and important?
A: Urgent demands immediate attention (ringing phone); important contributes to long-term goals and values. They are often not the same.

Q: What is "productive procrastination"?
A: Doing lower-priority but useful tasks (e.g., organising files) to avoid a harder task — it feels productive but delays what truly matters.

Q: What is the "Not-To-Do" list?
A: A list of activities you commit to avoiding — e.g., checking email before 10 AM, attending optional meetings, or saying yes to non-essential requests.

Q: How does saying "no" improve time management?
A: Every "yes" to a non-essential request is a "no" to something important. Saying no protects your time for high-priority work.

Q: What is a polite framework for saying no?
A: Acknowledge the request, decline clearly, offer an alternative if possible — e.g., "I appreciate the invite. I can't take this on right now. Could we revisit next quarter?"

Q: What is the "glass and rubber balls" metaphor?
A: Imagine juggling balls: some are glass (health, family, integrity) and break if dropped; others are rubber (work tasks) and bounce back. Prioritise accordingly.

Q: What is work-life balance?
A: Maintaining a healthy equilibrium between professional responsibilities and personal life — including health, relationships, leisure, and self-care.