Here’s a plug for a practice I’ve leaned on more and more to make sure I’m getting things done, particularly those important-but-hard-to-sit-down-and-do things.
I experience the textbook case of procrastination due to perfectionism. When I have a vision for how I want something to turn out, it’s often overwhelming for me to start or at least keep it going. The Pomodoro technique totally wipes this out.
Here’s a summary of the Pomodoro technique. Many advocates advise not using the timer on your phone but I always have with no issue. I also don’t stick to the rules about how many Pomodoros to do before taking a break. It’s rare that I find a block of clear time longer than 1-2 hours in my day.
This is why the Pomodoro technique works so well for me:
- Offers a low barrier-to-entry to just getting started. Rather than clearing my desk, reaching inbox zero and having a snack before starting a project (all sneaky ways to procrastinate!), I just start the timer and work. It’s only 25 minutes!
- Captures actual effort exerted. Recently I lamented that a project was taking the whole day. Then I realized I had only done two Pomodoros, with the rest of my time going to two phone meetings, a coffee and lunch. So in reality I had only worked on that thing for less than one hour. A much needed reality check!
I recommend trying it out, especially if you’re prone to procrastination.
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