June 20th was National Productivity Day. How productive have you been?
The best way to get things done is to plan.
Create a schedule that works for you.
If children are home, you need to double plan – plan for the kids and yourself. If the kids are under school age, it’s a little harder.
My suggestion is to find some time when the kids can be busy and you can do some work without interruption:
A) the kids are old enough to play together or do a craft by themselves
B) the kids can watch a TV show, movie, or play computer games
C) trade off with another parent with kids so that maybe each of you takes a day or even a half day to watch the kids– hopefully close in age.
If you have no kids, you have more freedom to set your schedule. but you still want to plan before trying the Pomodoro technique.
Plan first.
Step 1: Start with a goal.
Write down the top 3 things you want to get done today.
Step 2: Put the 3 things into priority order.
If you have time to tackle all three, great. If you only get one of them done, at least it’s the most important priority.
Step 3. Try the Pomodoro technique –named by an Italian who had a tomato for a timer. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian!
Pomodoro technique:
Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Work for 25 minutes.
Take a 5 minutes break.
Next session:
Work for 25 minutes.
Take a 5 minute break.
Some people work for 50 minutes and take a 10 minutes break.
Some people work for 45 minutes and take a 15 minute break.
Experiment
Experiment and see how long you can comfortably focus before you need a break. And after your break, you should feel more refreshed. You can then continue with what you were doing or you could change gears and do something else.
Personally I can go several hours doing the same thing, but I do take breaks in between. Your break does not have to be a snack break. It can be just a stretch break or refill your drink!
Good luck on your planning!
PS – It can take 30 days to make or break a habit. So give this technique a good 30 day trial! Step
