Time is on YOUR Side…Yes it is!

Yesterday morning I read about a time management technique and the decided to test it right out.  The Pomodoro Technique is pretty simple, you just have to be willing to focus all your attention on ONE project for 25 minutes.  Then you give yourself a 5 minute break and decide where your attention needs to go for the next 25 minute segment.  You can break up your day into as many of these segments as needed. The key to making this successful, is to turn off all the other distractions.

I had a busy domestic day planned for myself yesterday.  I did a 25 minute weight training session and a 25 minute cardio session with a water and coffee break in between.  Later in the day, I set out to do yard work.  25 minutes of pulling weeds, followed by a 5 minute water and SIT break.  I ended up repeating this for 3 sessions.  After taking a break for lunch, I decided to try it in the kitchen, baking and making a fresh pot of veggie soup.

The take away–25 minutes goes really quickly, when working like this.  I felt that I upped my game, knowing the clock was ticking.  I avoided looking at my phone completely, until the 5 minute break came.  It sort of felt like I was playing a game of some sort and I liked it!  When I took my fitness tracker off before bed, it registered over 17,000 steps and I felt very accomplished.

This seems to be a great method that can work pretty much across the board.  A 25 minute session could even be built around “multitasking” to tie up loose ends from the day.

Clearly, there are times when multitasking is essential. Often, however, we go to answer an email and 15 minutes later, we have checked our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, only to find out a half hour has gone by and we haven’t done a thing.

Being a huge believer in DOWN time, I like this technique because we can get more done in those single tasking segments, allowing more time for the zen stuff.  It can even be scheduled in.  (25 minutes to meditate, read, catch up on the phone or even watch a sitcom),

Doing this too much would certainly make us into machines, but I definitely love the idea of a few blocks a day of UNDIVIDED attention.  So many of us are running around overwhelmed with work, virtual schooling of our kids, homes to keep up with, etc., that this seems like it could really help organize our time.

The Pomodoro Technique.  Try it.  Let me know how it works for you!