March 25, 2019
Time Management with a Tomato
As anyone who’s ever worked under a ticking clock can tell you, nothing focuses the mind like the urgency of an impending deadline. Those usual wandering thoughts stay penned and little distractions go unnoticed. It creates a hyper-efficient functionality, churning out strong ideas and producing great work in just a fraction of the time.
As remarkable as it can be, no one wants to be under the gun. Production comes quickly but at great expense to the mind. That pressure is very often stressful and damaging to the mental state, often affecting other areas of life. This is why we rarely put things off to the last minute. That accelerated effectiveness is not worth the drawbacks.
That’s where the Pomodoro Method comes in. Named for the tomato-shaped timer that started it all, this strategy creates guilt-free deadlines, reaping all the benefits of those last minute sessions but without the stress of failure.
Simply, set the timer for a short period. I use 25 minutes. The challenge becomes to work solid, no distractions, for the entire span. Every second wasted is a second of wasted clock and that ringing bell is coming whether you’re ready or not. Stay buckled for the whole thing and you get five minutes of free time. I usually read my book. Get distracted or lose focus, you have to reset the clock and begin again. It’s the right balance of carrot to stick.
Since I started doing this, my production has significantly improved. I’m working like the hourglass is emptying but without fret or fear. This little tomato has improved my life because there’s no simpler way to get more done in less time.
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