One of the easiest places to add a countdown timer is in Outlook. You can add countdown timers to emails, to meeting invites and to other appointments. Just use a simple copy and paste:
Simply select the countdown timer you want
- Right-click it and select ‘Copy image’ (or Ctrl-C)
- Then click where you would like it to go and type Ctrl-V
The pasted image will start counting down immediately. You can stop and restart the timer as you wish by means of the simple control that appears within the timer when you hover over it. And, most helpfully, the timer restarts as soon as the email, meeting or appointment is re-opened or viewed.
Reasons for using countdown timers in Outlook
There are a number of reasons you may wish to include countdown timers:
- in emails, they are most likely going to be for fun or emphasis. You can use this to set people a timed challenge – can you complete the challenge below in 5 minutes starting now? Or they can be used to make a point: I promise not to take more than 2 minutes of your time. And …
- in meeting invites, they provide a means of managing the time spend in the meeting. This could be for the overall meeting, or for specific tasks within it
- in appointments, they provide a means for you to manage your own time disciplines. Helping you to chunk up your day and ensure that you are using it efficiently. They can also provide a source of energy, focus and good-feeling when you ‘beat the clock!’
For some reason that we have yet to fathom, countdown timers do not yet work in tasks. They appear to work when you first copy and paste them into the task. But when you save and reopen them they become a static image.
Try it out in an email now using the countdown timer on the right, or find your own timer at: https://meeting.toolchest.org/timersTrack your progress to ensure the efficacy of this strategy.