Are you in the market for something easy to use? Fun to do? That will immediately improve your productivity? Obviously.
Here’s how it works:
- Set a timer for twenty-five minutes.
- Close Facebook and Twitter. Turn off all notifications.
- Work. No interruptions or distractions whatsoever.
- Once time is up, take a five minute break. Feel free to check social media or talk to friends. Walk around. Go to the bathroom. Get some water. Have a snack. Do an organizational chore.
That’s it. Deceptively simple, right?
This proven and popular time management hack, called the Pomodoro technique, from Italian pomodoro (tomato), has won the hearts of millions.
Why you should use it?
- You’ll get more done. Working in short, intense bursts beats eight-hour sessions any day.
- You won’t burn out, as it’s virtually impossible to push yourself too hard with this method.
- There’s a built-in reward every thirty minutes.
- Managing distractions becomes a piece of cake.
- You can repeat for as many cycles as needed.
If you feel like twenty-five minutes isn’t enough to gain momentum, you can do fifty minutes on, ten minutes off—same results.
Note: If you use Google Chrome, add the Strict Workflow extension to your browser for an easy-to-use online timer.