Working the dash is not a new concept. Merlin has written about dashes a few times, and our very own James Mallinson wrote about it last week in a roundabout way. But I’ve recently discovered for myself how well it works, especially with stuff I’ve been putting off.

Now, I don’t go so far as to set up an elaborate forumula for it like the ['(10+2)*5'] technique, but the whole concept of working within a small window of time has proved effective for me. I can’t really say much about it that hasn’t been said before, but I can share my own experiences and examples.

The other night, my computer warned me that it’s scheduled shutdown was in ten minutes. So, I went ahead and quickly read some articles and dashed off a couple of e-mails that I had been putting off. I was surprised how much I had gotten done in just a short time. It was pretty exciting.

Also, my wife and I like to watch TV on DVD. We tend to watch several episodes at once, usually a disc at a time. Between episodes or during random breaks when the phone rings, we’ll take a break for about 15 minutes to aggressively clean up around the house. This lets us have fun watching TV AND get stuff accomplished.

I’ve put this to work on my lunch hour, too, blazing through a lot of stuff (usually think-y brainstorming-type things, or running several errands) very quickly. There have been times I’ve felt I accomplished more on my lunch break than the rest of the day.

I’ve found the motivational power of a quick deadline and an intense burst of (productive) energy is satisfying. It increases my energy and heightens my awareness. What’s been your experience with working the dash? Share it over in the forums!