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Productivity.
I get asked all the time, “How do you do it all?”
My response is often, “Well, who’s going to do it for me?” I have found myself saying this a LOT!
I’m working on my PhD, I work full-time as well as blogging and coaching, I am married, I have three kids, and I have autoimmune issues. I also volunteer and travel regularly. I certainly don’t have a lot of time to spare, but I get things done!
I used to be one of those people who got easily distracted. Not anymore! I use a productivity hack!
What’s my secret?
I use a productivity hack called the Pomodoro Technique:
- Decide on the task to be done.
- Set the pomodoro timer (traditionally to 25 minutes-I just use a timer on my phone).
- Work on the task until the timer rings. If a distraction pops into your head, write it down, but immediately get back on task.
- After the timer rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
- If you have fewer than four checkmarks, take a short break (3–5 minutes), then go to step 1.
- After four pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your checkmark count to zero, then go to step 1.
For example, let’s say I want to do a power hour and get a lot done in the morning. It’ll look like this:
25 min meditate, gratitude journal
25 min checking in with challengers
25 min scheduling social media posts
25 min reading personal development
…etc.
This will allow you to get done way more than you ever could before. By better managing my time, I can now do more of the things I love:
Spending time with my family
Reading personal development
Volunteering
…and blogging;)
What productivity hacks do you have? I’d love to hear them below!
xoxo
Kathy
Wow! I’ve never heard of this before! I’ll have to try it… My technique right now is waking up very early in the morning and getting stuff done before work or school. I don’t know why it helps to know that I only have a certain amount of time to do something.
Alexandra, I have tried that so many times. I am just not a morning person! I feel so much more productive after the kids are in bed. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve started doing something similar to this with blogging. I allow myself 60 minutes to work on a blog post, and I set the timer on my phone. I don’t allow myself to get on any other sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc) during that time. I get so much more done knowing I’m “on the clock” and it keeps me from being sucked into Facebook or Pinterest for hours. 🙂
That’s a great idea, Jenni! It’s so easy to get side-tracked…especially with Pinterest!
Hey, I just found this via a Google search. Nice post!
I have employed the Pomodoro technique with mixed success. I think the best part for me is the tracking of the number of Pomodoros completed, as I like having something to measure and getting to tick something off provides a little burst of endorphins.
Like you, Kathy, I have tried and tried to embed an early morning routine but find that I always fail. I did it for a few months successfully and got a *lot* done in the mornings before anyone else in the house was up and about.
Sadly, my work sometimes means I am on-call overnight and a short period of that killed my early mornings once and for all.
So, I try to accept my weakness (preferring to stay in bed just that little bit longer) and work around it.
Thanks for your post.