From there my day usually goes one of two ways:
1. I start one of the tasks on my list and become so engrossed I forget to take a break until hours later when my hungry stomach and/or stiff neck protests.
2. I start one task but that annoying voice in my head keeps insisting “What about this task? What about that deadline? Wouldn’t it be easier to just finish that task from yesterday?” I end the day having jumped from task to task, starting many but finishing few.
If you also need help making the best use of your time, I suggest the tomato technique.
Actually the Pomodoro® Technique, named after the tomato shaped kitchen timer that Francesco Cirillo used when developing his time management methods. The Pomodoro® Technique is simple: predetermined chunks of time dedicated to one task with short breaks in between. Then, after four chunks of work a longer break. Cirillo pinpointed 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes for breaks as the sweet spot but you can adjust to what works best for you.
Originally developed as a study aid, I think this technique works well for writers also. The trick is to use your 25 minutes for one single task and ignore things that will “just take a minute” like emails, social media, and other distractions. Stick to task and dedicate one of your Pomodoro chunks to returning emails, invoicing clients and all the other business details of writing.
Also, keep track of how many Pomodoro chunks it takes you to complete a recurring task. Can you write a blog post in one Pomodoro or do you need two? Is it better to dedicate two Pomodoros to your inbox at the beginning of each day or split it – one Pomodoro at the start of the day and one Pomodoro at the end of the day? Overall, this is about becoming more aware of how you are using (and wasting) your time and where you can make improvements.
I often found that my creative writing was last on my to-do list and, as such, often got abandoned in favor of other tasks. But with the Pomodoro® Technique you can schedule one Pomodoro for creative writing each day. It feels manageable because it’s ONLY 25 minutes. Looking at it another way, you get 25 scheduled minutes each day, something you might have skipped in the past in favor of other tasks or simply because you were wiped out after a day of concentrating on other tasks.
Cirillo prefers an actual physical timer (shaped like a tomato, of course) but there are many online apps to use. I like the fun (and free) Pomofocus app you can download to your laptop, desktop or phone. You can personalize it with different colors, sounds and time lengths. They’ll give you a heads up when you only have 5 minutes left in a pomodoro and compile a report tracking your time useage.
We’ve all heard that we should divide out days up into brief segments of focused work. Sometimes, we need a little help making that a reality. Try a tomato!
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Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to pretzels to butterflies to treehouses. Sadly, the groundhogs have eaten all her garden's tomatoes. She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites, Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb.
