Katie McAllister Professional Organizer blog: Organized Treasure

The Pomodoro Technique for Focus

3/23/2020

Pomodoro comes from the Italian word for tomato and brings to mind a little kitchen timer. This technique is to focus your energy and attention to one task for a timed period, and then take a

break. It is super simple, but reaps a lot of benefits in managing your time, securing your focus, and learning the actual amount of time certain tasks require.

Often we underestimate how long creative tasks take. Perhaps we get “in the zone” or begin to lean toward perfectionism. The Parkinson Principle teaches that a task will expand to fill the amount of time available to it – and in these days of Stay at Home Orders, with very little on our calendars “in ink”, we can easily find ourselves busy “at” something without really accomplishing a lot. The Pomodoro Technique can help keep your brain on task and help you visualize the passing of time in chunks. To me at times, it is almost like a race or contest – how much can I accomplish in this 25 minute period?

On the other hand, many OVERestimate the time required to perform a task. We are so used to multitasking and distractions, and the consequent loss of productivity as the brain constantly refocuses, that we don’t realize how much of that writing time actually involves checking email, scrolling facebook, and other non-relevant activities.

My favorite time of day for Creative time and Pomodoros is in the morning from 9-12. It is a nice time block of energy and productivity. Often in Time Management, we talk about the Eisenhower Matrix, where most of us live in the quadrant of completing tasks that are “Important and URGENT”. But many priorities in our lives never make themselves “urgent” – think of the inspiring author who dreams of writing a book – there is no contract, she has no external “deadlines” holding her to due dates, she must make this priority rise to the top on her own. There are many occupational advancement projects that would fit this category. But even on a personal level: time with the kids, healthy cooking, exercise, home improvement projects and maintenance – these are items that allow us to neglect them and rarely rise to level of urgent emergencies, “fires” that need to be put out. So setting aside that time block for YOUR priorities – making that standing appointment with YOURSELF and not allowing distractions, is an AMAZING way to live in the quadrant of Important but NOT urgent!!

Because I love to “race the clock”, I also enjoy Pomodoros with more mundane tasks – tidying up, putting away a basket of laundry, prepping dinner – I like to see how much I can accomplish in a short period, and it helps me stay on task as I compete to match the time I have estimated!

You really have to experience the technique to see its power in:

enhancing your focus
harnessing your awareness of the distractions around you
improving your ability to cut down on the interruptions
increasing your skill to estimate the timetable for all kinds of tasks – your planning over time!

And it’s kind of like Othello – a minute to learn. A lifetime to master. The technique is just a few simple steps, but mastering our energy to focus is an ongoing process!

1. Choose your task – big, small, priority, mundane – but if it is worth your time, it is worth your undivided attention!

Write it down to define it better. Estimate how many pomodoros (25 minute sessions) you expect it to take and write that down as well. If it is more than about 5 pomodoros, you want to break down into smaller tasks. If it is just a 2 minute email, you want to batch into a full pomodoro (work in my inbox to respond to multiple emails, in this example). Here you are, actively choosing what you will accomplish in the next ½ hour, and making a list of what is most important to you today!! In fact, you may want to schedule a PLANNING Pomodoro, where you use a session to plan your day, week, month, and do some serious goal setting!!

2. Set the timer for 25 minutes.
Make an oath with yourself to spend the next 25 minutes focused on this task, without allowing interruptions. (You can do anything for 25 minutes!)

There are lots of free apps out there for your phone or PC. It should show you a visible countdown, alarm after the time is up, AND should make a ticking sound. This might sound super irritating or stress inducing – but here’s one of the reasons you have to give it a chance for a couple of days!! It tends to create a calm energy, and like Pavlov’s dogs, provides a mental signal that it is time to FOCUS!

The suggested duration is 30 minutes long (25 minutes of working with a 5 minute break), but anywhere from 25-40 minutes for both the work interval and the break could work. Because it is also a tool to LEARN focus: focusing for an entire 25 minutes straight may be the GOAL for you, and that’s okay – Define THAT as the goal and embrace it!! You may want to start with a smaller timeframe, and that’s okay too – IMPROVING FOCUS is the name of the game and a huge benefit!

3. PROTECT the Pomodoro!!

To accomplish the Pomodoro and reward yourself with that check mark, you have to stay focused and complete the whole 25 minutes. You can’t quit halfway through to take a phone call, or check email and still take credit. So, you only want to allow interruption for very important items. And you want to realize that it is in your power to CHOOSE what is valid or not.

If you have mental, internal interruptions: WRITE THEM DOWN, don’t require your mind to hold them. You want your task to stay front and center of your brain, and allow your focus to stay on task. Writing it down also helps you visually TRACK the distractions – how frequently are you interrupting yourself – this is one of the ways you learn to improve! You will review them after you are finished your time block of Pomodoros, and you may well discover very few of the distractions were urgent.

For external distractions and interruptions from others: note and refocus. Start to realize how much is just an internal compulsion to respond immediately, take the call, reply to the text, and which “emergencies” can wait for 30 minutes, or 3 hours. Ask yourself whether this could wait until your 5 minute break. Many items are just not that pressing, and some may resolve themselves before you get around to dealing with them! Pretend you are with a client – would you pick up the phone then? (you have made an appointment with yourself and should respect your priority to a similar level). If you at least need to acknowledge the person, you Inform, negotiate and follow up. Let them know that you are currently busy, not in a position to respond… or get those around you used the phrase “I’m in the middle of a Pomodoro”! Ask if you can call back at a specific time in the future (set an alarm if needed) and follow up then. Now, log the distraction and get back to work!

If it is an emergency, or you opt to stop the Pomodoro, then you consciously CHOOSE to abandon the Pomodoro. You don’t log that one. And you start a new Pomodoro when you are able to focus again, and aim for the next one to go better!

4. When the Pomodoro rings, STOP!, Submit the Pomodoro!! (You did it!) And TAKE A BREAK!!

I have mixed feelings on this: when I am working on something creative, I often find myself in “flow” and I am just not going to interrupt that state to actually stop what I am doing. At times I will take the break, but other times, I freely admit, I just keep on rolling. Often, I just x out the 5 minute break timer and move straight into the next Pomodoro. And I’m okay with that as well – When I’m on a roll and not burning out, I am EMBRACING that positive energy!! Maybe the Pomodoro answer is to set slightly longer work intervals, and that is something I am going to experiment with!

On the other hand, the rule is STOP – you are going to want to tell yourself “but I will be DONE in 4 minutes!! I should just finish.” Remember, we are bad at estimating time and you may be lying to yourself. You may be ready to just keep going. Part of the reason for the break is to value rest, and a truly focused brain needs some downtime, and needs to conserve energy for multiple pomodoros. Open your Breathing App, use the restroom, grab a cup of coffee, go for a short walk or do some jumping jacks. I think catching up on another small task that uses less brainpower is also allowed – fold some laundry, wipe the counters, empty the dishwasher, delete some emails.

So don’t reject breaks on principle - they are essential to building your focus endurance and improve quality productivity. So give them a chance and let them work for you!

5. Now we start a new Pomodoro!
Don’t let break time suck you in… you want to be able to enjoy that short break, rest your brain, but then get right back to it, that is part of the pacing of the Pomodoro!

6. After 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break. (Default is usually 15-30 minutes)
This is a more restorative break. Give your mind a chance to process your thoughts and rest so that you can give the next set full attention! Take a walk (your dog will thank you), close your eyes for 20 minutes, clean the kitchen.

See if this method works to both immediately improve your focus on tasks at hand, AND to improve your Focusing Endurance in the long term! If it is worth doing, it is worth your full attention!

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Using The Four Tendencies to Your Benefit

3/23/2019

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The Four Tendencies Gretchen Rubin Upholders Questioners Obligers Rebels learn grow stretch know yourself

Gretchen Rubin's book, The Four Tendencies provides insight into the way different people react to expectations and motivations. It considers weaknesses of each tendency and ideas to overcome the weaknesses. It also explores how each tendency reacts with others and how to "get along" with the mindset of each!

UPHOLDER
As you can see above, Upholders respond positively to expectations, both from themselves and others. They enjoy rules, routines, and structure. They thrive with goals and to-do lists. They are the people who find keeping their New Year's Resolutions an achievable plan, and also friends you can count on to come through for you.

Their weakness can be rigidity and inflexibility. They can get stuck in a routine because it is "what I said I would do", sometimes blind to the fact that it is not working for them anymore or no longer a priority. They can benefit from regularly analyzing whether the way they are spending their time is still in line with their priorities.

Because they HATE to make mistakes, they can take it very personally when someone calls them out on an error, especially publicly. As rule followers, they flourish in environments with fair and clear guidelines. They can frustrate others at times with their need to strictly adhere to expectations, but can sometimes be refocused on priorities with a question like, "Is this really important to you?", as it forces them to weigh their strongest internal expectations against a myriad of external expectations that would be impossible to juggle.

QUESTIONER
The Questioner cannot tolerate rules they deem arbitrary or pointless. They use logic to determine whether any expectations is one they personally find worthy, and if so, it becomes an internal expectation they are willing to fulfill. They like to improve processes, increase efficiency, and share their knowledge with others. They are likely to consider January 1 an arbitrary date to make a new goal, so they reject "New Years" Resolutions, but are fairly willing to make and stick to goals on other dates not set randomly by others.

Their questions can cause others to label them as "bad team players" when they seem to question authority, or group consensus. While internally motivated, they can have trouble completing tasks they see as "pointless". (And let's face it, sometimes in life items ARE silly in and of themselves - school assignments, paperwork in the government or a large business, etc.) It can help a questioner to look at the bigger picture and find motivation in the fact that this item propels him toward a greater goal - his degree or a promotion.

A questioner can dislike being questioned! In the mind of a questioner, the assumption is that of course he did his research and made a careful decision with all due diligence. Questioning such a carefully considered choice is offensive, while carefully asking them to share their process and explain how they came to their decision (to teach you) is more easily accepted. It helps to accept that a questioner needs to ask (and understand) WHY? This might come into play with deadlines - if you tell a group you need an RSVP by Friday, most people will accept that, but the questioner, if he thinks it is arbitrary, will NOT be motivated to comply. If you explain that Friday is the last day to purchase tickets, though, and he understands the reason for deadline, he is much more likely to respond!

OBLIGER
An Obliger is dependable, meets deadlines, and keeps promises... to others. But those personal goals that are just for him? He tends to let himself down and just can't find the motivation to get them done. They are flexible, easy-going, willing to do their share, and great team players.

The first major weakness is taking care of personal goals that don't have external deadlines and expectations automatically attached to them. The solution is to find ways to attach that external accountability - the chapter on Obligers is FULL of tricks that might apply, and if you are an obliger who can do a huge project for a group but can't ever make time for self-improvement items, I would HIGHLY recommend for the specific anecdotes. Sometimes just making the to do list is enough to create an external expectation (I MUST check it off the list). For a health goal, working out on a schedule where others are expecting you, rather than alone, might help (same idea for a study group). You are probably the mindset that most needs to guard against the inability to say NO. Practice it!!

Because obligers say yes to others and NOT themselves, they can easily burnout. When they do, they can become resentful. Don't be another person taking advantage of the generosity of obligers! Help them set boundaries and protect themselves - rather than asking them to do it for THEMSELVES, though, ask them to do it FOR YOU!! (Ah, External motivation!!)

REBEL
Rebels resist all expectations, and value freedom. They don't like to be controlled or told what to do - they will tend to dig in their heels. They even dislike being trapped by commitments of their own choosing. Usually they do the things THEY want to do, enjoy making their own choices, and stay true to their natures. They are driven, and great outside-the-box thinkers.

But, sometimes their desire to defy rules means they will stubbornly refuse to do what they have been asked, even if it is to their detriment, and EVEN if it is the thing they WANT to do! (Picture the child who has decided on the sweet surprise to secretly clean the kitchen the minute his mom leaves for the grocery store. But just as she is about to walk out the door, she turns and says, "Please clean the kitchen while I'm gone." This is the difficult plight of the rebel.) It was harder to get a read on solutions for this mindset. It seems helpful for the rebel to step back and ask what he really WANTS, identify it and avoid the self-sabotage of letting someone's expectations force him to take the opposite stand - which is really very limiting. They can remind themselves they have the power to choose what they want to do, and to be the kind of person they want to be (which like any of us considering our best selves involves many positive character traits.) Rebels need to work to intentionally have that mental picture and make choices to reflect that best self.

If you interact with a rebel, there was a bit more information - and most tips involved a bit of reverse psychology. For example, rather than issuing a deadline as a demand, try a challenge - "I don't think you could possibly get all of this done by Friday, do you?" It may help to clearly present the options and consequences and leave it as a choice, and allow the consequences to happen. I am not clear on how that plays out if your spouse is the rebel and the thing they don't do has consequences for BOTH of you, but it might be worth reading and thinking these things through if you identify this in someone close to you.

Thinking about our personalities and tendencies, and those of the people we are close to is very revealing. The insight into the strengths and weaknesses we each possess, and cultivating the wisdom to accept, embrace, and work with and around them, stretch and grow us! Best of luck as you identify your tendencies and learn to make them work for you!

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