86 400 seconds. That’s the exact amount of time you have everyday. But are you always satisfied with effectiveness of the time you spend? In the evening, are you proud about have much have you done in the whole day? If the answer is “yes” - congratulation! But if you are not always satisfied about your time management I would like to show you one simple and very effective method that will let you do much more in the same period of time. So if you are interested then invest a little of your time now so that you’ll gain a lot more time in the future.
One of the main reasons why most people have troubles in being effective at work is because their attention constantly drifts away from the task. Another problem is that many people do one or two bigger breaks (like 20 - 30 minutes) during the whole work period. And it is really hard to maintain 100% of your attention even of an hour, not speaking of 2 to 4 hours straight. Most people also get used take a break or even finish their work when they’re completely tired or washed up from an good ideas - “I cannot do it any longer, it’s time for a break” they say. Because of that, the next time they get back to work they’ll start where they finished - tired and washed up. How to deal with all that stuff?
Get on well with tomato!
This amazing method was created over 30 years ago by Francesco Cirillo. It’s name comes from the kitchen’s stopwatch which was in the shape of tomato. As it appears, this device is very useful not only while cooking some pasta but also while you work. It really helps in everyday business and allows you to stay sharper, more energetic and even much more creative during the whole work period.
OK. So what is it all about?
First of all you have to know what you want to do during the day. Simple checklist will do the work! If you have got something more complex it may be better to split it into smaller parts so it’ll be much easier to accomplish the whole task.
If you already know what you want to do, then you should start with turning off everything that may distract you from your work. Social media, communicators, phone etc. Everything what could take your attention away from the task. You need to be focused on your work as much as possible - In that you can find yourself into state of workflow, but you have to be focused on 100%
Before you’ll start your work, you need to set up a timer. You don’t necessarily have to buy any particular one in the shape of tomato in the shop. Just a simple, free timer from a website like this will be enough.
Ok, you got everything you need now! So get to your work :)
Now as you prepared everything, set up the timer on 25 minutes. No more no less - in this method that is the exact time of one working block. In this time you have to be absolutely focused on your work. You have to be as mindful, as sharp and as brilliant as if your life would depend on it.
The thing is that you have to give your best during the 25 minutes block. After that you can make a 5 to 10 minutes break. And after 4 such a breaks you make a longer break about 15-30 minutes. It is very important to completely walk over from your task in that during the break. Don’t even think about your work during the break. You can go for a walk, scroll FB, or just relax - the thing is you have to do something not associated with your work at all. During the break your mind will rest so that you’ll be able to work in the next sessions at your maximum performance. Personally I have found it really powerful to do some squats or other physical activities during the break - That’ll give your brain more oxygen and will boost up your performance even more!
Why pomodoro is so effective?
First of all, short and regular breaks will let your mind rest but will not let you get lazy. Second, it is much easier to maintain your attention for just 25 minutes. Third, most of the people were more creative and eager to get back to work while taking short breaks. When I first started to use this technique I was even angry at the timer because it always rings when I’m so focused at work! But after I get used to it, I was really satisfied about how productive I am :)
So just check out this method during the next week. I’m sure it’ll help you to improve your effectiveness.