Rapid technological advances have got us locked to our screens all day long, which is not great for our long term health. It not only brings health problems but affects our lives in ways that cannot be quantified. What do I mean by that?
With portable devices comes this fallacy within our mind that we can complete our work whenever we want to. If we don’t feel like working now, we could always carry around the laptop or smartphone and get it done at home or during the weekend, right? But what we tend to forget is that when we make time for work during the weekends, we are essentially taking time away from the activities which we usually used to do during the weekends. We only have 24 days in a day, after all.
So it’s imperative that we work and complete our goals within the stipulated time.
Staring at your screen all day long but not able to study/work at all?
We’ve all been there. A lot of time passes while pondering how you’ll complete your syllabus and why you joined this course in the first place. Or if you are a working professional, wondering when the day will be over. But the key is to define your goals and get started.
Once you define the goals, be 100% present while doing the tasks. Setting goals don’t mean a thing if we don’t act and complete them. Put your head down and get it done!
Sounds great! But how do I be “100% present”?
It’s critical to remain focused when doing any task. Inspiration is perishable, and so is focus.
It’s not humanly possible to concentrate on a task for hours together. But what we can do is concentrate for a couple of minutes together. I know that sounds like a not so big deal, but I believe that’s more than what we need! Sounds like a gimmick? Read on.
Here’s where the Pomodoro technique can help you. The method was ‘invented’ in the early 1990s by the developer, entrepreneur, and author Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo named the system “Pomodoro” after the tomato-shaped timer he used to track his work as a university student. It is a cyclical system based around working in short bursts of 25 minutes with deep focus. Couple it with intermittent breaks of 5 minutes, which can help to improve motivation, creativity and efficiency.
Still not sure how to go about it? Worry not! We will explain the step by step practice you need to follow while practising the Pomodoro technique; get started right away!
Steps to practice the Pomodoro technique:
- Choose a task that you want to complete.
- It doesn’t matter if it’s something significant, something small, or something you’ve been putting off for a million years. What is important is that it merits your full and undivided attention.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes on the Pomodoro.
- Continue working on the task until the Pomodoro timer goes off.
- Spend the next 25 minutes wholly immersed in the activity. If you suddenly realise you need to do something different, jot it down on a piece of paper.
- Put a checkmark on a piece of paper when the Pomodoro goes off. Congratulations! You’ve dedicated an entire Pomodoro to a task with no interruptions.
- Take a three- to five-minute break.
- Every four Pomodoros, a longer break is taken (20 to 30 minutes). Then go back to the first step!
The timer creates a sense of urgency, which is the objective of the strategy. You know you just have 25 minutes to make as much progress on a task as possible, rather than feeling like you have unlimited time in the workday to get things done and then wasting those valuable work hours on distractions.
Research has shown that taking regular breaks can vastly improve focus and concentration for a prolonged period. It’s the way to keep burnouts away! Try the Pomodoro technique on Zuperly now!
Varun, Content Writer
