You sit down with a head full of ideas, ready to be super productive and get some stuff done. You're determined to really make some progress, but as soon as you're at your computer you start getting distracted.
First, you respond to that email that just came through, because "it'll just take a minute."
Then, you click on the newsletter with a catchy subject line in your inbox, and follow a few random links, wasting a few precious moments before you're able to re-focus.
You need to focus! There's so much to do...so you make a list. But the list goes on forever, and feels more overwhelming than it does helpful. You're paralyzed with which thing to tackle first, so maybe some coffee will help, so off you go.
When you return to your desk 20 minutes later, an hour has passed since you initially sat down and NOTHING has happened. You start to panic, because there's still SO much to do.
It goes a little something like this.
Can you relate?
It happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. If I'm in a funk and not getting anything done, there are two things that help me get back on track every time.
#1: Time Blocks with the Pomodoro Technique
When I first heard about this "technique" I thought, "really? Technique? That's nothing more than a little discipline and a timer."
And that's exactly what it is. But it works like magic.
Here's the gist:
- Choose one task to focus on.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes.
- Work on that task until the timer goes off. Don't do ANYTHING else. No checking Facebook, or responding to texts, or getting up to grab a glass of water.
- Once the timer dings, take a minute or two to break. Stretch, respond to that text, refill your coffee.
- Then, you're back at it for another 25 minutes.
- After 3 or 4 cycles through (25 minutes + mini-break), take a longer break. 20 minutes or so to really get up, move around, and clear your head.
- Then head back for another round. Perhaps you change your focus or start a new project, but the point is that you're not just getting distracted by every little notification or email or other "pressing issue" that comes your way.
I love it for a few reasons, but primarily because it feels less daunting than the 3 hour time blocks I'd otherwise schedule to get a project done...It's hard for me to focus non-stop for 3 hours, but 25 minutes? Totally doable.
#2: To-Do Lists on Notecards
The second thing, that I use in combination with the Pomodoro Technique, is a system that Jenny Shih (my amazing coach) brought to my attention.
I've always been a fan of to-do lists, but when I have a lot going on, it's just too much. Instead of helping me organize my thoughts, my list just starts to overwhelm me.
Breaking my to-do list into smaller segments via old school notecards has been a game changer for me. You could also do this on Trello, but I find that if I'm really swamped, paper and pen work better for me!
Here's how I approach it:
- Get a stack of note cards and put one main category at the top of each. For example, I'll use one card per client, and then multiple cards for my business projects, including things like "Blog" or "Admin" or "Email Newsletter."
- Then I take those cards one at a time, and break down the to-dos for each into little bite sized pieces. I'll include things like "put email opt-in form on website" and then separately, "write auto responder copy for email opt-in" on the Email Newsletter notecard.
- Once I've filled out all of the cards and contained those random thoughts from swimming around in my head, I'll pick one, and get started.
- I'll use the Pomodoro Technique to focus on the card at hand.
- I also like to keep a "personal" notecard handy to jot down the random thoughts that pop into my head, trying to distract me. That way I can write down "buy kitty litter" or "schedule dentist appointment" or "look into trip to Hawaii!" as those random thoughts float into my brain. Once I capture the thought, it's easy to return your focus to the task at hand.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you!
Here's to some nice, focused productivity so you can get stuff done and then get on with your life!
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