A simple method used to increase productivity during a set period of time is the pomodoro technique. All you need is a timer – any timer, analog or digital, would work. Here’s a catered online timer that you could utilize: https://pomofocus.io/
The idea is that you do 25 minutes of hard, uninterrupted work, followed by a 5-minute break. During the 25 minutes of work, don’t respond to emails or texts or even look at your phone. Save all those potentially distracting tasks for your breaks. If something else comes to mind that you need to do, write it down so you don’t forget to address it later.
Each of these cycles (25 minutes of work, followed by a 5-minute break) is called a Pomodoro. Once you have finished 4 Pomodoros, take a longer 20-30 minute break.
I decided to try this technique since my productivity has decreased drastically while having to work from home. There are so many more distractions throughout the day. Between 2 needy dogs and a husband who is also working from home, the distractions keep coming. I tried this technique hoping it would help keep those distractions from de-railing my workflow & keep my scatterbrain tendencies at bay.
I’m a big believer in Parkinson’s Law, which says that work will expand to fill the time allotted. The Pomodoro technique gives each task an allotted period of time and a goal of finishing said task within the timeframe. This helps me get more done with less time, and it helps me finish tasks well before deadlines.
I tried the pomodoro technique in both my 9-5 job and with my blogging/YouTube. Here is what I observed over the 7 days:
You need to plan your meals accordingly
Getting hungry in the middle of your Pomodoro cycle is not only annoying but so distracting! I’d recommend planning your meal times accordingly. Or having something small to snack on at your desk so you can avoid being interrupted by a growling stomach. Nothing derails my productivity like having to walk downstairs to the kitchen.
Turning my email notifications off during my Pomodoros helped me to stay on track
Notifications on your phone or computer are some of the biggest roadblocks to productivity. By pulling your attention away for just a few moments, they make it that much harder to achieve a “flow” state of productivity. Eliminate distractions by silencing notifications. Instead, set aside time to focus solely on reading and responding to emails, texts, or social media messages.
Have set goals to accomplish during each Pomodoro, and if you finish a task in the middle of your 25 minutes, transition as seamlessly as possible to the next one
Whether your goal is to accomplish 1 large task or several smaller ones, have set goals before you sit down each cycle. Prioritize these goals beforehand so you know exactly in which order to complete them. This will keep you from spending time during a cycle trying to decide what to do next.
Keep your phone out of sight, out of mind
You can’t get distracted by a text or tik tok notification if you don’t see/hear it! If you have an Apple watch, you’ll need to take that off and hide it with your phone in order for this tip to be effective. Only allow yourself to respond to texts or look at notifications during your breaks.
Occasionally you’ll get a phone call during a cycle that you’ll need to answer due to the nature of your work. Take the call and immediately dive back into your productive mode, no harm no foul. If you’re expected to answer your cell phone for work or you’re expecting an important personal call, change the settings on your phone so that incoming calls make a sound but texts and other notifications do not.
If you’re using your phone as the timer for your pomodoros, make sure it’s face down on your desk. Try to minimize as many distractions as possible.
You will get so much accomplished
This technique really makes you realize how much time is wasted on distractions and switching back and forth between tasks. By setting limits such as “I’m not going to look at incoming emails until my 25 minutes is up”, you save the time that it takes you to get back on track after the distraction. I found that I could get most of my work done in the first 6 hours of the day. This allows more time in the evening to work on personal projects, go on walks, or spend time with my husband.
Conclusion
Overall, I think that this is a solid method to improve productivity during your workday. It instills a sense of urgency in that you need to get as much work accomplished as you can in the allotted 25 minutes, and allows your brain a scheduled rest time during your breaks. However, this method could be difficult to implement in a regular 9-5 job. If it’s anything like my job, your calendar is scattered with various meetings and calls. But you really can be as flexible as you want with this method. If you have to stop your timer to take a meeting, just pick back up where you left off once the meeting is over. I find that having this in the back of my head helps me to get back on track after I get off a zoom call so that I’m able to finish another pomodoro.
I hope you can find a way to implement this method into your workday or any side projects you may be working on! Let me know if you have tried the pomodoro technique, and if there are any other workflow methods you’ve found that have helped you stay productive!
Need more help staying productive while working from home? Check out this blog post.
