|| Chairs || Rug || Sweater (similar) || Jeans (similar) || Glasses || Table ||
Last week, I shared on stories that I had to clean our entire home, top to bottom. Every drawer, every closet, every everything… in 5 hours flat. Now many of you are probably thinking to yourselves that I shouldn’t have put off doing it for so long. Believe me – I’m with you. That is neither here, nor there. Anyhow, we had the buyer of our home coming over for her second walk through… and this time she wanted to really look at the space. Cabinets, drawers, closets… all of it. So I put on stories that I was using the Pomodoro Technique to get the cleaning done…. and you all went crazy. I will say, the results are dramatic. That is why I am sharing it here.
My number one tip for productivity – The Pomodoro Technique.
Shop My Favorite Productivity Boosters:
I discovered this technique a couple of years ago. Some friends and I had what we called an “Article Club”, instead of a book club. We figured that a book club was too daunting for us. Instead, we chose to read an informative and helpful article every month. We would then come together over wine and delicious food to discuss it. One of my favorite “Article Club” meetings was about what is now one of my very favorite tips for productivity – The Pomodoro Technique.
For our particular Article Club, my friend Rachel chose two articles. One on Parkinson’s Law, and then one on the Pomodoro Technique. The idea was that, as women, we are always trying to find ways to be more efficient and to get everything done. At work, at home, and just at life in general. Perhaps if we put our minds together, we could – 1.) See and share what was stopping us from being as productive as possible and 2.) Learn each other’s tips for productivity.
For some background – Parkinson’s Law >>> see here, basically states that you will take the amount of time you are given for the task at hand and fill it completely. I’m SUPER guilty of this one. FOR SURE. Say you have a full weekend to clean your home. You have given yourself the FULL weekend. Given that deadline, you will probably take the FULL weekend to do it. I know I would! What we found in our Article Club group discussion was that many of us were unknowingly guilty of this. If we are given a project with a generous deadline, we will unknowingly complicate it to fit the deadline. Or procrastinate because we know it isn’t pressing. << Guilty as charged. Here is where to Pomodoro Technique comes in.
How To Use The Pomodoro Technique:
The Pomodoro Technique, simplified, is giving yourself 25 minute intervals to complete tasks at hand or goals. You set multiple goals in a day, and allocate your work into 25 minute segments. For example, when I had 5 hours to clean my whole house top to bottom, this is how I used the Pomodoro Technique. I reasoned that I realistically could get 2 areas done each hour (each area was given 25 minutes) with five minute breaks in between. Since I would have 5 hours, that gave me 10 areas I could clean using the technique.
How I Used It:
With the Pomodoro Technique you start your day with a “To Do” list, you then prioritize that list, and then you break it into segments. So I started with my “To Do” list of 10 areas. Caroline’s Room, Guest Bedroom, Play Room, Butler’s Pantry, Living Room/Kitchen, Laundry Room, Master Bedroom, Master Bath, Master Closet, William’s Room + David’s Room. Then I prioritized. The kid’s rooms would be last since our potential buyer probably didn’t care too much about those rooms. However, the Master Wing, Master Closet, and common areas had to get done. She really loves my closet and the open concept of our home… so I prioritized accordingly.
Why I love The Pomodoro Technique:
What is amazing about the Pomodoro technique is that you feel like you are racing against yourself. It almost becomes a game. With my home cleaning example, I couldn’t believe how quickly I was cleaning areas that I had put off organizing for months. All because I didn’t want to lose to myself… it was crazy.
I also use this technique when I sit down to write blog posts. If I know that I have a 25 minute timer set to get a post done, I am much less likely to let my mind wander, or to search the internet aimlessly for THE perfect dress, or to start a load of laundry. I am much more likely to be hyper focused, to only go to the retailer that I know will produce the best result, and to get the job done better than I would have if I had given myself two hours.
I use this technique for a whole lot more than blog posts though!
What you can use the Pomodoro Technique For:
- Cleaning the house
- Meal Prep
- Work Projects
- Homework with your kids
- Organization tasks
Things I notice when I use the Pomodoro Technique for work:
- My work is actually better
- My writing is more concise
- I get back to emails faster
- I tackle projects that I have been putting off
- I am more proud of myself and I feel more accomplished at the end of the day.
My Favorite Pomodoro Technique Products:
- Tomato Timer: This is the number one tool for the Pomodoro Technique – you can also use a timer on your phone, but sometime that gets distracting to me.
- Productivity Planner: I have a planner that is six times the cost of this one. Not to mention this one has 555 amazing reviews and 4.5 stars!!!
- Blue Light Glasses: Ashley and I swear by these for long days at the computer!
I hope you found this informative – and if you do end up using the Pomodoro Technique – PLEASE TAG US and let us know! We love when you let us know that you’re using something we’ve posted about – so please tag us on stories, send us a DM, or shoot us an email!
