I was a big fan of Terry Pratchett growing up, and while I love the Discworld novels (and am proud of my full set), I realise that the “Bromeliad” trilogy of children’s books has also stayed with me long into “adulthood” (if that’s what this is). The books are about a group of small people, the “nomes”, trying to make sense of a world not designed for them, and one of the lightly-handled themes is the struggle of challenging society's accepted beliefs in the face of new information. The books, “Truckers”, “Diggers”, and “Wings”, are firstly really funny, and also full of really lovely insights into why people/groups/societies behave as they do. I must have listened to the audiobooks (by which I mean story tapes, on cassette – look ‘em up kids), read by Tony Robinson, hundreds of times.
(yeah alright Rob but how does this relate to my productivity?)
Well, having listened to the books so many times my head is full of silly quotes, and one that has really stuck with me is this: [specifically relating to how you get a hundred or so six-inch high people to drive an articulated lorry designed for humans, but surprisingly applicable to everyday life]
The way to deal with an impossible task is to chop it down into a number of merely very difficult tasks, and break each one of them into a group of horribly hard tasks, and each of them into tricky jobs”.
When I’m faced with an impossible task (which just getting through a full day can feel like these days) I often think of this quote, which is really useful just on its own. Any seemingly insurmountable challenge can be broken down into smaller, manageable chunks - I got through a ten-hour triathlon by imagining “just cycle another commute (10km)”/ just run another 5km parkrun”, both of which I’ve done loads of times. Ticking off the smaller manageable chunks gets you to the end goal in no time.
My main problem when working from home has always been focus – when I was revising for my exams I discovered that I can fairly well time 7 minutes by how long it takes me to look up from something I’m concentrating on, and feel my mind wandering (this skill does not fill me with pride). I can find all kinds of excuses to be distracted: a follow up text to a friend; just a quick check of the headlines; fill/empty the dishwasher; just tidy that bit of stuff away over there, etc. etc.
One technique I’ve used when I really have to get stuff done, and stay on a task, is to break my time into manageable chunks (or merely “tricky jobs”), using the “pomodoro” technique. It was invented by a student sometime in the 80s and 90s, who obviously had a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to hand when devising his time-management strategy. Closely linked to the concept of “timeboxing” used by software engineers and project managers, it’s used to help enhance creativity and focus (by creating a sense of urgency or increased pressure), and can also help curb perfectionist tendencies (by setting a firm time limit) and not overcommitting to a task.
Basically, when you’re feeling like you don’t know how you’re going to stay focussed, or get the day done, the “impossible task” of getting through the overwhelming (set of) task(s) you have for the day is broken up into manageable 25min chunks (or “pomodoros”), each spaced by a 5 minute break. In the break, you’re supposed to get up from your chair and do something else. The idea is that sometimes you need to take your mind away from a problem you’re focussing on so as to see it afresh.
It’s not prescriptive, and if you’re working well, you can just start on the next 25 minutes immediately, and you can of course adjust the time of your pomodoros or your breaks. I find that I’m able to save up the minor things that I was attempting to distract myself with and do those in the breaks if I note them down as they occur to me.
I actually bought myself a real-life pomodoro timer, and hearing the ticking clock helps me notice when my mind is wandering and put me back on task. There are also plenty of online timers that allow you to modify the pomodoros and break lengths to work best for you.
The benefits I feel I get from all this are:
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Combining time-chunking with ticking off lists allows for a great way to churn through tasks. (by the way everyone should use lists, and the scientifically proven dopamine hit that checking off items gives you is such an easy win)
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Sounds silly, but the ticking clock is something like a task-master willing you/forcing you on to the end of the pomodoro
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At the end of an hour, I can honestly say I have done at least 50 minutes of work – which when it comes to billing is handy, as otherwise, at the end of, say, a four hour stint where various distractions have come and gone, I am sometimes unsure whether I was really working for all that time, and how the time needs to be adjusted.
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Twice an hour I get up from my desk and move around, which is strongly recommended(!) to avoid postural issues developing.
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I actually get more of the “distractor” tasks done as well, because I have to squeeze as many as I can into the 5min breaks! (you can fully unload and load a dishwasher in 5 minutes)
I realise that this isn’t for everyone, and some lucky people are able to “deep-focus”, without being distracted, for hours at a time; but if you think you might benefit from this, give it a try!
Here’s a link to an online pomodoro timer, and a longer article from lifehacker about it.
Have you got a similar time-chunking technique or a way you force yourself to remain “on-task” when you can feel that you’re lacking focus? There’s a comments section below if you’d like to share.
I’ll leave you with another Terry Pratchett quote (which ties in nicely to Benni’s excellent Stoics article), and a virtual elbow-bump/hug/unsatisfying air high-five/friendly wave to those that want one.
These times are not necessarily good, and not necessarily bad. In fact, what they are depends on what *we* are.”
Keep on keepin’ on.