As a consultant, your time is your most important asset. Theoretically, every minute of your day is a billable time. utilizing strategies to increase your effectiveness can open up more space to work or to play. If you’re happy with your work load, use time saving techniques to increase your free time. If you feel overwhelmed, use time saving strategies to condense the amount of time it takes to finish your projects. Everyone has their preferred techniques. In this article, lets look at the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique predicates itself on your ability to gain an understanding of your accomplishments. Created in 1992 by Italian Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro technique has gained an intense following.
The basic premise is that we break down our time into 25 minutes and grant 3-5 minute breaks to absorb our accomplishments and plan for the next unit of productivity. By creating indivisible units or work time, we place ourselves into the mentality of unbreakable productivity. The mile marker keeps us going and allows for us to sink into deeper thought and intense concentration.
When you hit the end of 25 minutes, take that page and mark it down as a unit of productivity. Record what you accomplished and take a quick break. In that time blow through all of your distractions, don’t let your email and text get in the way of your next unit. Take a moment to praise yourself and prepare for the next unit. When 4 units are completed, grant yourself a longer break.
What we’re really looking to do is to increase our flow and focus. Our flow and focus drives us into real progress. We sabotage ourselves every day. Think about your days. How frequently do you really hit a nice rhythm? Sometimes I think we’re even afraid to engage that rhythm, finding things to do to distract us from our real goals.
Like all good strategies, the Pomodoro has been monetized. Click through here to check out one of these sites.
Now you can buy books and specific timers and special stationary, or you can download a simple timer to your laptop. You can even use a watch. Simply Keep track of your time (and, hey, if you happen to forget that break, well I guess you’re really in a flow).
Work smart, don’t beat your head against a wall.