The Pomodoro Technique
Do you struggle with productivity? Do you start the day by saying, “I have so much that I need to do today,” and then you somehow waste hours doing mindless tasks that take you away from ACTUALLY accomplishing the important stuff?
Review your last couple of days. What was the flow like? Do you feel like you had control over your day’s schedule, or did you squander precious time in exchange for screen time? What didn’t you like about how your day went? What do you need to get accomplished that keeps getting put off by mindless tasks?
I would suggest you keep a journal to write all these things. This way you can always go back to those entries and see your progress or just to remind yourself of what is important. The internet and all the social platforms are such a gift but can take over our lives in unhealthy ways.
Do you need to stay focused? I start my day with a green drink called BeWell and add a MindHealth for focus. The BeWell with Spirulina, makes sure your body starts the day with good nutrition that’s easy to prepare. The MindHealth, to keep your mind energized and ready to take on tasks. Sometimes, if you’re feeling way more tired what usual, add a Pomegranate Energy Fizz. All of these are made by a company that originated in Switzerland about four decades ago. Their line consists of vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, dairy free, high fructose free, ingredients that will give you clean energy with out the crash. Because sometimes, especially with coffee, which is highly processed with chemicals, the energy is not enough to sustain you for the day and actually drains your Vitamin B which depletes you even more. These are my personal choices, because I need energy that will last all day but won’t fog up my brain.
Now, let’s talk about getting sidetracked, it’s a huge problem nowadays. It’s
so easy to get side-tracked when we have our smartphones near us. We are all
guilty of wanting that quick dopamine hit from checking our social media or
checking our online stores to see who bought from us. Do you want to break this
habit and be more productive?
Try the Pomodoro Technique, it’s easy to implement right this minute!
What you will need:
1.) Timer
2.) Pick out an activity that will be easy to walk away from every 5 mins. My husband and I have separate office areas in the house and we meet in the living room to play board games. The latest one we played was “LIFE.”
3.) Pick ONE task you need to accomplish. (ex: I want to read for 1 hour, I need to work on my blog, etc)
Now you’re ready!
Set your timer to 25 mins. You will sit and do ONLY this task for that time. Once your timer goes off, set it this time for 5 mins and do your break activity. When your timer goes off, set it for 25 mins and repeat!
After 4 of these, you’ve earned yourself a 15-20 mins break, your choice.
Do you want to be even more productive? Time block your day with a sheet of paper that separates the hours into 30 minute increments. I personally highlight every other 30 mins to remind myself that I need to step away from the screen even more. For every highlighted block, I’ll allow myself 25 mins to do whatever task requires my laptop or the internet. I’ll take my 5minute break and on the next 25 minutes, I’ll have a task that takes me away from the screen ex: laundry, getting grocery list together, organizing, or any task that will help make your mind feel decluttered. Then a 5 minute break followed by another screen time task.
Here’s an example of a time block sheet:
By Bloom Daily Planners from Amazon
I also, like to play music (depending on what mood I need to be in) or a podcast in the background to ensure I am learning as I am doing a task.
I hope this article was helpful to you and that you’re able to get control back of your day so you can make the most of it!
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