I have a gigantic list of things to get done before Christmas. I’m not even sure if it’s possible. Also my 8-430 job has become, insane. I don’t even have time to think about blog posts! Consequently by the time the night rolls around I’ve used up all of my available brain power and I’m forced to zone out in front of a screen and fall asleep at 9. Obviously, I need to work on time managment.
I’m not sure at what point I can call myself a blogger, but I’m going to start now. In all seriousness, I can probably try a bit harder to fit in the bloggy-blogs. This past week I was forwarded an email from a friend about the Pomodoro method. This is a time management method I’ve used in the past to block time and become a more effective individual. I think it’s probably time to get back to it! The Pomodoro method: it has something to do with tomatoes.
To avoid sounding totally bonkers (my favorite word these days), let me explain that the Pomodoro method is a real thing.
There are six steps in the original technique:
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- Decide on the task to be done.
- Set the Pomodoro timer (traditionally to 25 minutes).
- Work on the task.
- End work when the timer rings and put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
- If you have fewer than four checkmarks, take a 5 minute break, then go to step 2.
- After four Pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your checkmark count to zero, then go to step 1.
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So, I’m going to be scheduling Pomodoro “blocks” of 30 minutes on my calendar from now until the end of the year to cover off all of my Christmas and work related tasks. Sounds easy, right??
I probably only need to schedule about 4 blocks a week to keep this blog thing going. That’s not SO HARD, is it!?
I’ll check back in soon to let you know how I did. Tell me all your awesome time management secrets in the comments!!
I’d never heard of this Pomodoro Technique before, but it sounds like a very good idea to try.
I’ve been doing something similar at my work where I have a countdown timer on my phone which I start anytime I’m wasting time, and stop whenever I get back to work. It was working pretty well at keeping me on task – which is maybe why I’ve stopped doing it. 😉
I like the concept as it forces you to focus for a limited period of time before you take your well deserved break. Apparently the inventor spent a fair amount of effort studying the effects of prolonged concentration on the brain and productivity, and came up with the 25 minute blocks as the most effective period of focus for activities. I think your phone countdown is probably just doing the exact same thing. I recently downloaded a Chrome extension called Ultidash which has the timer, and the ability to block unproductive sites. I probably need to fire it up a bit more often than I’m doing now. 😛