How to Master Your Productivity Instantly With This Free & Simple Tool
You're spinning plates like nobody's business. Writing a paper, following up on last week's deadline, planning the weekly shop, what you'll contribute to the school fundraiser, and that overflowing inbox you just never seem to get under control. Some days you feel like a superhero, and other days it's as though you're barely keeping your head above water, feeling that you're just not able to keep up.
Our modern constantly-connected lifestyle sees us receiving hundreds of notifications a day. For most of us, we’re programmed to immediately respond to every alert and every ping.
The immediate real-time reaction means you don't consider the effects of disengaging from your current task, or what task the 'ping' will redirect your focus to.
Have you stopped to consider the impact of this behaviour?
What is the real cost of those interruptions?
The cost to you is two-fold. The additional time to redirect yourself back to the original task, and also impact of higher stress levels, frustration, temporal demand, and mental workload.
So, How Do You Fix It? How Do You Protect Your Productive Time?
One way I like to protect my productivity is by using the Pomodoro technique.
The name for this time management technique comes from those cute tomato-shaped kitchen timers that start ticking when you twist the top.
You can use this tool to improve your productivity. It helps you resist all of those self-driven interruptions and retrain your brains to focus on one specific task.
How Does It Work?
Each 25-minute 'pomodoro' should be dedicated to just one task, with a five-minute break. Use the break to reset and bring your attention back to what you should be working on.
After about four 'pomodoro' intervals, you should look to take a longer break of about 15-20 minutes.
Through the embracing the Pomodoro technique, I've been able to regain control on all those spinning plates by tackling them one by one.
You might be thinking 'I don't own one of those tomato kitchen timers'. Trust me, you do not need one to give this technique a try.
I use my smartphone and a free Pomodoro app - but quite honestly, any old timer will do, as long as it doesn't interrupt you outside the intervals (so remember to turn those devices to do not disturb).
Embracing the Pomodoro technique will help you craft the structured, organised day you really want.
Now What?
Well done, you've made it this far, and you're at the point of decision.
You could continue down the path of certain chaos. Knowing full well what lies before you is a frequently-travelled road full of anxiety, and pressure as you aim to keep all the balls in the air without dropping a single one.
If you want something different to happen, if you want to change the direction of your wellbeing, you're going to have to try something else.
Make a new choice, try the Pomodoro technique, do it today.
If you're stuck managing your own time, it's time to ask for help. You won't be alone, the team at willow. can hold your hand every step of the way and walk you through the technique with 1-on-1 virtual support.
