Happy Sunday!
And welcome to today’s edition of, ‘Conscious living with Purnima’. In today’s post I share with you two productivity enhancing tools. I hope you find them useful. In case you have any of your own, then please do share.
1. Time Blocking
This involves dividing your entire day into small time chunks and pre-deciding what you will do in each chunk. You can choose half or one-hour chunks depending on how you wish to work. Include the breaks - lunch & others into the schedule so it is not all work and no play.
This technique starts out being challenging but eventually grows on you. So, do give it time.
The Process:
A. First make a list of everything you wish to do during the day
B. Once you have done that, start plugging them into the time blocks
To me, time blocking is akin to meal planning. Even though you may not stick to the meal plan 100%, having one ensures you have some control over your nutrition. Same way, even though you may not stick to your time chunks to the tee, you can be assured of having a fairly productive day.
2. The Pomodoro:
To do a Pomodoro, set an alarm for 25 mins (that’s the typical length suggested by the founder of the technique. However, you can choose to work with your own set time). Switch off all distractions, & focus on the work at hand. Until the alarm goes off. You can choose to extend the Pomodoro in case you find yourself in the flow of work. Else, stop to give yourself a little rest from work. This is important so you are recharged and can come back to the next task with renewed focus.
One mistake that I was making with the application of this technique was not giving myself a proper break after a Pomodoro. I would either quickly move on to doing something else important, or indulge in a hobby such as learning to play a piece of music. Which, when you think of it, isn’t really a break for the brain. And this caused my productivity to be low. Now, I use the break time to consciously un-focus, stare into space, listen to music or just get a walk outdoors.
As a new week starts tomorrow, I invite you to pay attention to your daily habits - do they enhance your productivity or diminish it? Question yourself if you can do better with tools such as the ones I have shared with you today.
Leaving you with a quote from Annie Dillard that I recently came across in author, James Clear's newsletter, for reflection:
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days.” - Annie Dillard, author, The Writing Life
Good one Puri...i did have Lol moment...my mistake is not in NOT taking a break after pomodoro...it's taking a break even if the pomodoro is incomplete..which is most times 😀 btw pomodoro is tomato...as Mahes says below interesting word 😀
Good writing Puri. Loved the Technique and word, 'Pomorodo'. Good one!