Thanks to a tweet from one of my tweeps on Twitter, I recently discovered the Pomodoro Technique, a unique system of time management.
Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, and the technique is named for the tomato kitchen timer that the creator of this system used when first implementing his system.
The premise behind the Pomodoro technique is that you set your timer for 25 or 30 minutes and seriously focus on one task for that time. At the end of the 25 minutes you get a 3 to 5 minute break to do whatever you want. Tweet on Twitter, check Facebook, grab coffee, read blogs…and then set the timer again and immerse yourself in your chosen task for another 25 minutes.
I’ve found this extremely useful for my blogging.
Writing blog posts requires creativity, focus and sometimes research, but I often find myself distracted when I sit down to write.
For example, I’ll start to write on a post, and decide I would like to find a link to something. I pull up my browser and head over to the website I need and copy the link. I add it to my post, but… while on that website I notice there’s a new post. I click back to my browser and scan the new post. Where of course, something grabs my attention so I click on that. In the meantime, I notice several tweets have been posted from my favorite tweeple. Several of them have links to interesting articles, so of course I click on them and take a peek. I add them to my ‘Read it Later’ list, but now my e-mail notification dings and I go to check on it. A client is requesting a quick item, so I quickly pull it together and get it back to them. By now, the flow of writing has been interrupted and I’ve lost my momentum.
Enter my new love of Pomodoro. I now break my tasks down first. For example, I list research and writing of my blog posts as two seperate items. I start my timer ( I use Focus Booster, a small app for your desktop that you can find at www.focusboosterapp.com) and for 25 minutes I focus on researching for my post. The ticking of my timer reminds me that I can’t click on anything that doesn’t relate to my post research.
A bell rings at the end of my 25 minute Pomodoro (which is what the technique calls these short work periods) and my 5 minute timer begins for my break. I check Twitter and e-mail or maybe I grab that second (third or fourth) cup of coffee.When the timer dings again I restart the timer for my actual writing Pomodoro.
You’d be amazed at how much you can write in 25 focused minutes.
The technique is especially helpful when looking to write more than one blog post at a time. If you took part in 31 Days to Kick Your Blog in the Butt you’ll know that Grant recommends getting some posts written in advance. It seems simple, but having the timer ticking away, really does help to keep you focused on getting your posts written. And the little 5 minute breaks let you decompress a bit in between, but aren’t so long that you lose momentum.
I’ve really simplified the Pomodoro Technique here, but if you want to find out more you can go to the webpage, download the free e-book and worksheets for more details.
If you’re like me, it will be a tremendous help in getting those great posts that are stuck in your head onto your blog.
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Tina Marie Hilton is the virtual assistant behind Clerical Advantage, a faculty member at Solo Practice University and contributing editor at Home Office Warrior. You can keep track of what else she’s up to by following her on Twitter where she is @TMarieHilton.
