Skill: time-management
time-management
Manage time effectively - timeboxing, focus, duration estimation, productivity breaks
SKILL.md
Full skill instructions
Skill: time-management
What I do
I help manage work sessions effectively through timeboxing, focus techniques, duration estimation, and knowing when to take breaks. I provide duration data to token-cost-estimation for accurate planning.
When to use me
- When planning work session duration
- When needing to timebox tasks
- When focus is degrading
- When estimating how long tasks will take
- When token-cost-estimation needs duration multipliers
Core principles
- Timebox ruthlessly - Set time limits, respect them
- Focus in blocks - Deep work needs uninterrupted time
- Breaks restore efficiency - Fatigue increases token usage
- Estimate duration explicitly - Don't drift without awareness
- Know when to stop - Diminishing returns are real
Duration Estimation
Task Duration Categories
| Category | Duration | Token Efficiency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick | <15 min | Highest | Single-focus, no context switch |
| Short | 15-30 min | High | Minimal overhead |
| Medium | 30-90 min | Moderate | Some iteration expected |
| Long | 90-180 min | Lower | Fatigue begins, breaks needed |
| Extended | >180 min | Lowest | Multiple breaks required |
Duration Impact on Tokens
Longer sessions increase token usage due to:
- Context rebuilding after breaks
- Fatigue-induced inefficiency
- Increased iteration cycles
- Re-reading previous work
Efficiency formula:
Effective tokens = Base tokens × Duration multiplier
Duration multiplier:
- Short: 1.0x
- Medium: 1.3x
- Long: 1.7x
- Extended: 2.0x+
Timeboxing Patterns
Sprint Timeboxing
- Set explicit time limit before starting
- At 80% of timebox: assess progress
- At 100%: stop and evaluate, don't extend automatically
Break Recommendations
| Session Length | Break Frequency | Break Duration |
|---|---|---|
| <30 min | None needed | - |
| 30-60 min | 1 break | 5 min |
| 60-90 min | 2 breaks | 5 min each |
| 90+ min | Every 25-30 min | 5-10 min |
Breaks maintain token efficiency - Fatigued reasoning uses more tokens for same output.
Anti-patterns to avoid
- ❌ Open-ended sessions without time limits
- ❌ Skipping breaks to "save time" (increases total tokens)
- ❌ Not estimating duration before starting
- ❌ Extending timeboxes repeatedly
- ❌ Ignoring fatigue signals
KB Reference
~/vaults/baphled/3. Resources/Knowledge Base/AI Development System/Skills/Workflow-Orchestration/Time Management.md
Related skills
token-cost-estimation- Uses duration for token estimatesestimation- Duration is a form of estimationscope-management- Scope affects durationtask-tracker- Track time per task