Be A Productive Powerhouse With The Pomodoro Technique.
Be A Productive Powerhouse With The Pomodoro Technique.
A freelancers guide to insane productivity everyday.
I PROMISE you, if you learn and implement this process, your mind will be blown by how productive and accomplished you'll feel every. single. Day.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time/project management technique used to divide your day into small increments, enabling you to not only forecast what you will accomplish that day, but also enabling you to get more out of your day through less time spent task switching.
According to Psychologist David Meyer, PhD: "...even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40% of someone's productive time." Ref: The American Psychology Association
Read that again! 40% of your day could be lost through not having a concrete road map for your day.
Simply, this is the process…
Further explanation can be found below:
Create a list of time ranges for your day (I generally go from ~8am until 3pm broken out into 30 or 60 min increments ) and give each range a specific task. For example:
8–8:25: logo design concepts for Car Company
8:30–9:55: Package files for Lila
9–9:25: Eat breakfast
9:30–9:55: Emails
10–10:50: Logo design for nutrition bar
11–11:25: Logo design for nutrition bar
... and so on.
Set your timer. I choose to do 25 minute and 50 minute increments.
Work on your task for the time allotted.
End work when the timer rings, and proudly cross out your item!
With 5-10 minutes until your next task begins, you have a grace period to complete the task or to take time for yourself (water, food, bathroom, chat really quick, indulgent IG scroll, etc.)
Move on to the next task.
I've been using the pomodoro technique (on and off — I'm human, I fall in and out of practice) for a few years now, and it has been a game changer. I feel incredibly accomplished when I use this time management technique for my graphic design and logo design work.
Here's a little further breakdown of the above:
1.) The list:
Set yourself up for success: Identify 1-3 things that you really need/want to make progress on the night before. I quickly jot this down in a small notebook on my bedside table.
EVERYTHING should be placed in a time slot. i.e., eating, checking emails, etc.
While working on your task for that time slot, you do not allow yourself to do anything but that assigned task. No emails (unless that's the designated task), no texting, no phone, no websites. Nothing. ONLY what you have allotted yourself in that task.
Let me repeat this imperative step: ONLY do what you have set in your task.
25 minutes is short enough to dive in deep and not feel like it's dragging on, and long enough to enable you to get some true, actual work done. Reward yourself with 5 minutes of Facebook when you're done, if that's what you need.
Give yourself 25mins for smaller tasks, and 50mins for larger tasks.
***If something you're working on will take longer than 50mins, continue to break that task up into 25 or 50min segments. This allows for truly focused, full-assed work for each time allotted segment instead of half assed work for a few straight hours.
2.) The timer:
I will set either a 25 or a 50 min timer that rings at the end of each time segment.
I like to keep the timer visible, in the top right portion of my screen so I can see it. I know that time is ticking, and it forces me to work quickly, efficiently, and make decisions.
Notice that there is a 5min unscheduled break after 25mins and a 10min unscheduled break after 50min of solid work.
3.) Working for the allotted time.
Because 25 and 50 minute increments are very manageable amounts of time, it's easier to stay focused on one single task — you can coach yourself: "All I have to do is work on this for 25minutes, and then I get to take a break." You're playing a mind game, and you're rewarding yourself multiple times each hour.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this approach to working reduces task switching, and less task switching aids achieving "deep work", and deep work leads to a more productive day.
4.) Cross out your completed items!
According to Forbes, simply writing down what you need to do, as opposed to "holding it" in your brain allows for more mental space to be productive, and ultimately makes you a more effective worker.
Additionally, crossing off list items has positive psychological impacts, allowing you to feel productive, efficient and see progress. You literally have a mini victory every 25-50 minutes.
5.) Grace period.
For me, this is used differently every segment. Sometimes this grace period allows me to wrap up the task, sometimes it allows me time to close out and prep for the next task, others times I use these few minutes to grab a snack, run to the restroom, talk to someone in the studio really quickly, or mindlessly scroll through Instagram.
When I'm really motivated I will do a max out set of pushups after every timer. Physical activity infused into the day maxes out my productive potential.
6.) Next!
As mentioned earlier, frequent task switching can eat up to 40% of your day! Because you already have written out what you need to work on next, this is a non-issue.
After doing this for just a few days, you will be absolutely blown away by how productive you feel and how much you get done.
Dessert: Some final thoughts!
Ya know that shit that you have been pushing off for the last 6 weeks (call the bank, unregister your account from that one website, signup for XX class...) If you have these set up as small time blocks, you'll rip through weeks of mental weight faster than you could imagine!
If you have micro-tasks that will only take 5-10minutes, consider batching them all together in a 25 or 50min segment.
If you're planning to work on something for 4+ hours straight (frequently, I will fully immerse myself in a branding, logo design or graphic design project for solid blocks of time) I HIGHLY suggest still breaking every 25 or 50 minutes. I personally like to do every 25 — this makes me more aware of the passing of time, and this forces me to make designs instead of lingering on unnecessary details.
Why wait to build the list until I'm in the office? This is built in grace. I know that some mornings I'll be in there at 6:30am, and others not until 10. I'm a realist, not a robot.
Have any additional questions? Let me know!
If you end up trying the pomodoro technique for your next work session, let me know how it goes, or tag me in an instagram story (@adamvicarel) — I'd love to know if it's working for you.
Smoochez.
- Vic
As always, hit me with any questions or thoughts that you might have! For more, get 1-on-1 coaching or mentorship. Schedule a call.
WHAT'S ON THE PLATE FOR NEXT WEEK:
"Being busy" isn't always a good thing. We're all more than work robots. Our life outside of work is what inspires the work itself. Thoughts on how saying no, taking time off, and relaxing a bit can actually help your business.
