How to Start Being Productive?

Mark Twain once said "The secret to getting ahead is getting started" and it holds as true for Productivity as for anything else. Most of us compromise on remaining unproductive for our inability to start in the right manner. 

If achieving productivity was that easy, then I wouldn't have felt the need to write this post/ article and you also would not have felt the need to read it. Productivity is not an impromptu or ad-hoc act of action but a process of deliberate intention and action.

If starting to get productive is a challenge, then staying productive is a bigger challenge. But one thing that can make it happen for us is to "PREPARE to be PRODUCTIVE" and it can't get any simpler than this to start (and sustain) our productivity journey. 

Better Productivity comes with Better Preparation and Planning. The cues are always present to help us find whether we are on the right track or not. Here are three simple tips that will surely help us in starting productivity in the right manner.

1. Getting more mindful and observant about our routine. The more aware and attentive we are, the more productive we would get. Knowing what we are doing and why we are doing it is the cornerstone of productivity. Tracking how we tend to spend our day gives plenty of insights into what may be going wrong with our productivity. 

2. Paying attention to the environmental triggers. Knowing what pushes us away or pulls us towards productivity helps us manage our approach better. There are plenty of small and big things that may impact our productivity and knowing what triggers them always helps us become more cautious and conscious of our actions.  

3. Noticing our habits. The patterns we follow or exhibit say a lot about whether we are being rational or biased in our approach. Many times, our productivity takes a hit because we tend to operate out of our comfort zone and stop to look beyond the obvious. If it's time to change our habits for becoming better at productivity, then any further delay only leads to worsening the situation. 

In the end, it's all boils down to finding out what's ailing your productivity and what's aiding it.

So, if you find yourself stuck, it's time to ask yourself -  "What's stopping me from PREPARING (to be PRODUCTIVE)?

Carpe Diem - 6 Steps To Seize The Day !

I start by quoting Muhammad Ali, one of the all-time boxing greats, who said "Don't count the days, make the days count". Deciphering the quote in context of "each new day" that we wake up to every morning, it boils down to making the most of the opportunities that beckon us during the day. The distracting and disturbing nature of the world only compounds the problems for us and make the task of deriving the best from the day a bit difficult. But following the fundamental principle of keeping the things simple and positive paves the way for us to make every day a productive one for us. Here's sharing 6 steps that can help us "own" the day and make it ours

• PREPARE
• However unpredictable life may be, but it always pays to be prepared (to whatever extent possible) to meet the challenges. Though we may never be able to control every aspect of what happens and predict the outcome but being prepared to our best capacity dampens the negative impact, if and when it occurs. Being prepared (mentally, physically, emotionally) instills a sense of confidence in us to meet any challenge with courage.
  
  Starting our day with the following two simple activities could set the tone for having  a fruitful day

• Visualisation - Imagining a successful day characterised by accomplishment puts us in a resourceful state and this opens our subconscious to grab the opportunities that may come our way during the day.

• Affirmation - Repeating empowering statements to "oneself" builds the necessary self-belief to be ready for any challenge and be able to accept it with a positive intent    

• PLAN 

• Assembling or consolidating what all needs to be done ensures clarity about the way forward. This step (PLAN) is where we create a framework for execution, in terms of the essentials - tasks to be accomplished, steps to be taken for corresponding to each task, resources required and time estimate for completion. Capturing essential and necessary information about every task/ activity puts us in command of the situation and prepares us to take corrective action, whenever and wherever required.

• PRIORITISE

• Once the tasks and steps have been identified, we need to work on the most important item(s) and these are the ones having the most powerful impact on us. Putting the things in correct priority not only saves us from wasting our effort but also keeps the momentum intact and energy preserved till the completion. Prioritisation helps us avoid taking a random approach to work and ensures that we know what is to follow.

• ACT/ EXECUTE
• Every Planning and Prioritisation is useless unless we take real/ actual steps to put things in motion. Whether big or small, an "action" is what will take us closer to our goal/ agenda for the day. Remember, right action taken at the right time in the right manner gives us right results. Being unsure of the outcome is no excuse for being "inactive" because there will always be lot of things beyond our comprehension and interpretation and only by taking action, we will be able to recognise what will work and what won't . 

• CLOSURE

• Many may confuse Closure with Completion. Let me clarify the difference - It's not always that we would be able to complete every task because some of them may run over multiple days and may only require us to execute only a part of it. On other instances, some task may get postponed during the course of the day. This means we may not be able to finish task in entirety and that's also what we refer to as an "incomplete" task. Closure, on the other hand, is always possible, whether in case of a completed task or an incompleted one. Closure is all about capturing the status-quo for a task/ activity so that next steps could be identified for it. Applying this step saves us energy.   

• REFLECT

• Every day presents to us lots of opportunities and it may not always be possible to avail all of them. We are bound to succeed in some and fail in others. The main thing in life is to learn from our mistakes in terms of  understanding
• what went wrong ? 
• why it went wrong ? and 
• what could have set it right ?  
• Reflecting on our actions and their results gives us insight into our behaviour and provides us with the wisdom to know what to embrace and what to leave. 

The Personal Productivity Pyramid - When Daily Planning Holds The Key !

At times, so many of us struggle to achieve productivity, inspite of taking actions, which we assume to be appropriate. In hindsight, something appears missing and a closer scrutiny reveals that it's not the lack of effort that has undone us but instead, it's putting effort on the wrong priorities that has brought us at crossroads. Missing out on identifying the right set of priorities to work upon resulted in wasting our effort on attempting/ doing the "non-vital" tasks, and this effort of ours did not had any bearing on our productivity. 

When tasks define productivity, the biggest challenge turns out to be identifying the right tasks to focus on. The scenario becomes more complicated in the absence of a means by which to determine the right set of priorities that align with our whole personality, chiefly comprising of our belief system and values. A holistic approach to task prioritization is the key to productivity.

Sharing in this post about a simple yet comprehensive tool/ framework that eases our job of task prioritization, and puts us enroute super productivity. The tool is known as "The Personal Productivity Pyramid", and was introduced by the author Hyrum Smith, in his book "The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management". The tool (Personal Productivity Pyramid) provides a very comprehensive approach to address the dilemma of "Daily Planning", which is about creating the right "to-do" list for the day by identifying the tasks based on right priorities. Lets delve deep into the Pyramid.

The "Personal Productivity Pyramid" operates on the premise that "inner peace", exemplified by harmony and balance is the true determinant of productivity and an indication of right prioritization (more on this later in the post). The Pyramid comprises of 4 levels, namely "Governing Values",

"Long-Term Goals", "Short-Term Goals" and "Daily Tasks". Considering the fact that the tasks we undertake impact our productivity, the pyramid is used with the objective of identifying the tasks that match our governing values, i.e. the virtues/ principles of our life. Once identified, the tasks are then prioritized to be worked upon. Let's discuss about each level of the Pyramid

• Governing Values -  Values are the foundation on which the entire pyramid is built and so becomes the most crucial. The "governing values" refer to the things that guide us in our lives. they could also be thought of as principles of our life based on which we tend to live. These may be different for everyone and is an outcome of our belief system (to an extent). Few examples of Governing Values could be Punctuality, Honesty, Family, Health, Self-Respect, Empowerment, etc.

• Long-Term Goals - Corresponding to each of your identified governing values, what is it that we would like to achieve in our life. Broadly speaking it may refer to our Purpose in life. For example, if "Empowerment" is one of my governing values, i can safely identify becoming a globally renowned Life Coach as my Long-Term Goal.

• Short-Term Goals - For each of the long-term goals, what projects/ assignments we could pursue or engage in. For example, continuing with the same example of becoming a Life Coach, my short-term goals could be getting certified through a credible institution and start practicing.

• Daily Tasks - These refer to the actions that are taken/ need to be taken on the day. 

Let's now look at the Steps for using the Pyramid

With the objective of identifying the right set of daily tasks based on the identified values, following are the key steps for using the Personal Productivity Pyramid

• Identifying the "governing values" - One way to do so is to think - "what are those things for which i am willing to sacrifice everything else ?" .We may also ask ourselves - "What do i value most in my life or assume to be important in my life?". There are other ways also. The model is greatly inspired by Ben Franklin, and this first step resembles very closely to Franklin 13 Virtues. Here's a link that gives insight into Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues and also about methods to identify our own set of "governing values". Check it out here  https://blog.franklinplanner.com/organized-october-values/ . A PDF document to help us with identifying the governing values is also provided. 

• Prioritize the identified set of values - We can identify a lot of priorities (values) but we need to ask ourselves "what are my highest priorities ?" or "what do i value most ?". Based on these, we need to prepare a prioritized list of "governing values".

• Establish the long-term goal, corresponding to each of the governing values or at least for the top most priority items in the "governing values" list

• Identify the short-term goals, for each of the long-term goals established by us

• Identify the list of daily tasks corresponding to the goals established. The items may be categorised as Vital, Important and Trivial and then within each of the identified categories, we can further assign numeric values to set the right priority to work on. 

"Inner Peace" will be achieved only when we will work on the right priorities within our "daily tasks" list.  So, get going and fill your productivity pyramid !

Related Article : Beating the Productivity Paradox

Beating the Productivity Paradox

It doesn't take much thought and effort to realise that we live in strange times of "Productivity Paradox", where the pull of everything that's considered to aid us in becoming more productive is actually pushing us away from productivity (in various ways). Think about all the apps, tools, softwares, and many similar tech-enabled gadgets, that promise to make our lives seamless in every possible way but ultimately leave us confused and exhausted.

Somehow, inspite of all our efforts, most of us still struggle to match the speed of this advancement that's permeating our life (both at a professional and personal level). Since desperate times call for desperate measures, a lot of us take recourse to the conventional short-cuts (the path of least resistance) of working hard or working more to make up for the lost productivity rather than take the road less travelled of addressing the other "work" based aspects.

It's easy for anyone to notice a drop in productivity and one of the simplest ways to determine the same is to be observant about any decrease in the quantity/volume/ amount of output for any specific  set of input. Simply put, the moment we feel that we are not getting the desired result for our effort is an indication of a drop in productivity. Of course, defining the "desired result"is crucial as we need to ensure that it commensurates with the effort. 

Identifying Unproductivity is easier than correcting it. The VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world that we are a part of is too demanding and eats up a great chunk of our resources, ranging from our attention to energy to time, and so on. Addressing the Unproductivity effectively is a matter of identifying what aspect of our "effort" we need to target. This "missing link" holds the key

to resolving the issue comprehensively and this missing link could be Focus, Efficiency, Clarity, Goal, Effectiveness, Prioritisation, Time Planning.  

When we deal with a high-pressure multi-dimensional world that's also complicated, complex and distracting, then a uni-directional approach to address productivity issues is bound to fail. What we need instead is a multi-pronged approach, using a multitude of tools, techniques and strategies, that covers every conceivable aspect of productivity. 

Getting better at handling technology is definitely an enabling factor to deal with Productivity/ Unproductivity but more important is to understand what that tool aims to address from among the various aspects that comprise our "work". Here's a compilation of various Personal Productivity Tools  (not necessarily digitally driven but definitely supplemented/ complemented by technology)  that address different aspects of Productivity and prepares us well to beat the Productivity Paradox effectively. 

Wheel of Life - SWOT Matrix - Brain Dump - SMART Goal Setting 

Mind Mapping - Pomodoro - 5 Second Rule - 5/25 Warren Buffet Rule

Eisenhower Matrix - 80/20 Pareto Principle - TimeBoxing - Parkinson's Law

Action Priority Matrix (APM)

"Focus on being productive instead of being busy - Tim Ferriss"

When "Enough Time" is not "Enough Productivity"

If you are told that "task completion" is a key factor in defining/ measuring your productivity, what would you focus more on

• completing as many tasks as you could
• completing as many tasks as you could within a stipulated time-frame 

If you are among the organised and disciplined ones, then, in all probability, you would select the second option, which is an indicator of our efficiency, an essential element of Productivity. Now, herein lies a caveat - this option is good as long as the right duration is identified for the selected tasks. 

Let's do a bit of real-life self-reflection. Try and recall  

• that basic household chore that took forever to be completed
• that travel trip with the last minute travel preparation/ packing
• that report/ article / form that you somehow managed to submit minutes before the close of the submission deadline 
• paying of the phone/ internet bill just in the nick of time, right when it was about to be disconnected  

Given more time, we all, can recall plenty of similar instances as above. All the above mentioned instances and similar ones, point to the simple fact that, so many of us, on many occasions, tend to meet deadlines, just in the nick of time i.e. during the last moment. Surprisingly, the point of deliberation here is not about our time management skills but about 

• our attitude to task completion
• our judgement in assigning time-lengths to various identified tasks.  

Time consciousness is not only about finishing/ completing tasks in time but also about how much time we assign to each of the identified task. 

To set the tone for introducing a productivity tool that helps us be time consciousness in the right sense, i propose the following question to you

Have you ever felt/ realized that you could have completed(finished) a particular task/ activity much before the deadline (allotted time)?

The question may sound simple and may elicit a much simpler answer by way of YES or NO, but a deeper analysis of the above would throw open many interesting and useful insights about our approach to task completion. I will take recourse to a law, known as PARKINSON'S LAW, to help understand our approach to task completion and how it could impact our productivity.  Let's gain a better understanding of Parkinson's Law

About Parkinson's Law 

Parkinson's Law states that the "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". This means that whatever duration of time we assign to a task, the "task" would get finished in that much time only. Assuming you assign a timeframe for finishing a project, come what may, the project would tend to consume that much time (as assigned) for its completion. Irrespective of the nature or size of work/ task, the Parkinson's Law will always hold true. Simply put, whatever amount of time is made available for a task(work), all of it (time) would be used to accomplish that task.

The Parkinson's Law was proposed by the British scholar, C. Northcote Parkinson. The first reference to the law was made him in his essay published in The Economist in 1955. This was followed by a republish of the mentioned essay alongwith other essays in the book titled "Parkinson's Law and other studies in Administration" in the year 1958. The first published essay on the subject (in 1955) had reference to public administration in context of existence/ application of Parkinson's Law. A very simple explanation of the law is provided through an example, right in the first paragraph of the essay. The example is

C. Northcote Parkinson spent a lot of time with the British Civil Service and that's where he started observing the functioning of the bureaucracy and came up with Parkinson's Law, a satirical take on the bureaucratic expansion. Regarding the ever increasing staff growth in the bureaucracy, he mentioned that "the number of the officials and the quantity of the work to be done are not related to each other at all. The rise in the total of those employed is governed by Parkinson's Law, and would be much the same whether the volume of the work were to increase, diminish or even disappear".

Application of Parkinson's Law

Ever since the first mention of the Law, the Parkinson's Law has permeated in every conceivable domain of human working and has found great application in time management and productivity. The Law has great application in bureaucratic/ governmental setup, organisational setup and at an individual also. Here, in this post, i am  going to touch upon how Parkinson's Law impact personal productivity. Lets revisit the earlier question

Have you ever felt/ realized that you could have completed(finished) a particular task/ activity much before the deadline (allotted time)?

Viewed in context of the Parkinson's Law, the realisation (when answered YES to the above question) could lead us to reflect upon the the following three aspects pertaining to the question

• the type of task - simple or complex
• time allocation aligned with the type of task (simple or complex)
• identification of all the additional activities/ tasks apart from the main task

Elaborating on the above three aspects, Parkinson's Law states that many a times when we err in deciding a timeframe or time-length for a task,(most of the times, it's about overestimating the duration for a simple task), we still tend to finish in within that overestimated time only and not earlier. To reiterate, if we read through the first paragraph of the essay, we could get a clear sense about how even a simple and basic task could be stretched to the extent of making it fill the full duration allotted for it. 

Likewise, isn't that the case with us also, when all those small/ basis tasks take eternity to finish/ get completed, and the best part being that as we tend to work on these tasks, we also ensure to fit them tight in their respective time buckets. In all this fitting and filling, little do we realise that we have created a crevice in our work execution to let in complacency, time-wasters, stressors and like, which, in no way, aid our productivity. 

A case in point (applicable to so many of us), which is so apt for this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world that we live in, is when we sit down to have our breakfast (or for that matter, any meal during the day). During the breakfast time, our constant companion is our smartphone. Ideally, 10-15 minutes is the effective "breakfast time" but that extended/ stretched 30 minutes allotted by us for the same (breakfast) is to accomodate our smartphone screen time. The repercussion of all this is that a delayed beginning to the start of our work day leads to building up of stress and anxiety in us and that adversely impacts our productivity.

Usually, when we sit down to plan, we tend to become generous in our time allocation (even for simple tasks which we know could be completed in a shorter time frame). Our calculation of total time allocation for an activity is the sum of effective "doing" time and the buffer that we build in. What is important in this context is not what comprises this buffer but whether we need this buffer at all because if we have a buffer then, according to Parkinson's Law, we are gonna consume it as well alongwith the effective "doing time" for a task !

When i am blogging then i ensure that i create very realistic timelines for the different stages of blog writing. Rather than straightaway arriving at a cumulative time frame for publishing my blog post, i adopt a modular approach of specifying individual time frames for each of the different stages of work related to publishing of the blog post. This strategy works for me as i don't tend to get carried away by mixing different stages.

So, no more brooding over missed deadlines and opportunities lost. Get "time-realistic" about all your task/ activities and be on the road to enhanced productivity ! 

N.B. - The images used in this post/ article have been sourced from the internet. 

The post also contains some affiliate links and i may earn some commission for my endorsement, testimonial, and/ or link to any product or service from this post  

When "Time over Task" defines Productivity !

Source: projectmanagersuccess.com

It's easy to get lost in the maze of work (tasks) during our quest to become more productive. Little do we realise that productivity is as much about time as about tasks and merely focusing on finishing as many tasks as possible may not always be the best approach to being productive. When productivity is at stake, then both quality and quantity hold equal importance, and we can't afford to compromise on either. But maintaining the balance between quantity and quality is easier said than done !

It's not easy being productive in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, where distractions exist in plenty and we need to try really hard to stay focused. Speed is of great essence in everything that we do but at times things may get too overwhelming for us because of the plenty that we need to work on. So, when "unlimited tasks in limited time" becomes the order of the day, then "prioritisation" is our only saviour and the focus shifts from merely accomplishing things to accomplishing the right things.

Here's sharing about a tool/ technique that could stand us in good stead when we need to balance prioritisation and speed/ time. The tool/ technique is known as TIMEBOXING, a simple way to get the best out of our every effort. Let's explore it in detail below

What is Timeboxing ?

Source:lucidchart.com

TIMEBOXING refers to allocation of a fixed length of time to an activity with the purpose of limiting the amount of time spent on each of the identified activity. This technique ensures 2 things

for us

• appropriate time is spent on each activity based on their importance (the discretion lies with us in terms of how much time we allocate to each of the identified task/ activity). 

• dedicated attention and maximum focus is put to each of the identified task/ activity

Unlike POMODORO technique, where the length of time allotted to each identified task is fixed to 25 minutes, here, in TIMEBOXING, there is a flexibility provided in terms of allotting any length of time to an activity, based on our judgement.

Read Related Article : POMODORO - The "Tick-Tock" way to Boost Productivity !

Why TimeBoxing would work ?

This technique would work for the simple reason that we live in a highly distracting world and with our attention span waning day by day, we need a technique that could deliver us results without demanding our prolonged attention.  

What are the benefits of Timeboxing ?

Source: litemind.com

Among the many benefits of timeboxing, few of the important ones are as mentioned below:

• Better control over 
• time
• task and 
• prioritisation of tasks

• Opportunity to reassess the task in terms of complexity and effort and accordingly modify time allotted, if need be

• Focus our energy and effort on important items and render us more productive

• Avoid burnout as we only spend a defined time-length on any activity/ task, irrespective of whether the task gets completed wholly or partially

• Builds concentration as we devote our full attention to a task for that time-duration.

• Flexibility in defining different time-lengths for different activities/ tasks

• Helps avoid procrastination as important things get precedence over less important ones 

What are the steps for applying Timeboxing ?

• Identify the goal to be accomplished and the objectives to be met

• List down all the tasks/ activities required for accomplishing the goal/ meeting the laid down objective(s)

• Calculate and set time-length for each of the identified task/ activity

• Prioritise the tasks, in alignment with the goal/ objective, in terms of sequence/ order, length and breadth pertinent to each activity

• Evaluate the progress against the goal/ objective 

• Reassess the time-length if desired results are not obtained 

Few precautions to take 

• Before applying the timeboxing technique, ensure to establish the goal first 

• Set short and realistic timeboxes, keeping in mind the average human attention span and the individual attention span too

• Have in place a dedicated timer. If using a smartphone or any other gadget for use as a timer, ensure the data is off to avoid any distracting prompts or pokes

• Build in relevant breaks during timeboxing

• If not required/ needed, avoid the temptation to finish the entire activity/ task in one go 

Remember, timeboxing is the way to go when you want to be in flow !

When Prioritisation defines Productivity (Part 3) - Warren Buffet 5/ 25 Rule

Warren Buffet's 5/25 Rule

When Prioritisation defines Productivity, it is not always about what we select but also about what we leave/ don't select. We will always have plenty on our list and it will never be easy to focus and direct our energy and effort on the things that matter most. Here's a rule/ strategy by Warren Buffet, one of the most successful investors in the world, about identifying an focusing on the important things in our life. The rule is known as 5/25 Rule. The power and impact of the rule could be gauged from the fact that it comes from one of the most successful person in the world. 

The story behind the rule goes like this - Mike Flint was Buffet's personal airplane pilot for 10 years and one day Buffet decided to help him plan out his career goals and priorities. The exercise involved Mike listing down 25 important goals of his life and then identifying the top 5 important goals to focus all his energy and effort on. The key highlight of the story is when being asked by Buffet about what he would do with the remaining 20 goals, Mike replied that he would work on these 20 goals intermittently while working on his 5 key goals. This is when Buffet corrected Mike by telling him that those 20 goals are the ones that he needs to avoid at all cost until he finishes with the top five. This is how Buffet helped Mike apply the 5/25 Rule for creating dedicated focus on his career goals and priorities. 

Let's look at the steps of applying the 5/ 25 Rule 

• Identify the area you want to focus on : Choose the area that's creating the most imbalance in your life and that has the maximum impact on your life

• Make a list of 25 goals in the area : Build a list of 25 goals, whether short-term or long-term. Make it a wish list and include every conceivable goal related to that area of your life.

• Identify the top 5 priority goals : This is the most crucial step of the process. Out of the 25 identified goals, identify the most important 5 goals that (according to you) has the maximum impact on your life. 

• Focus on the top 5 identified goals : Focus all your energy and effort on the top 5 identified goals and eliminate the rest 20 goals. Ensure you don't pay any attention to these "avoid at all cost" 20 goals till you have succeeded in the top 5 identified goals.

The 5/25 rule can be applied to any area of our life and the above exercise could even be done, in general, about life, without getting specific about any area of life.

Remember, the items 6 - 25 are also important but the rule suggests that we avoid letting them become distractions for us while we work on the topmost 5 goals.

Related Articles :

• When Prioritisation defines Productivity (Part 2 )- PARETO PRINCIPLE 

• When Priritisation defines Productivity (Part 3) - EISENHOWER MATRIX

So, get focused and go full throttle in achieving your 5 goals !       

POMODORO - The "Tick-Tock" way to Boost Productivity !

Starting each day with the sole intent of being productive and ending the day with a regret of not having accomplished much - 

Isn't that the story for most of us ?

It's true that making the most of our day in this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world is not easy at all and we really need to step up our game to make the best of the day.  But inspite of all our effort, at times using strategies like multitasking or technology, we still can't manage to make it happen.

Any guesses, what could be the reason(s) ? Well, plenty of external factors to blame (like people, circumstances, timing, and so on because according to us, we were always giving our best every day through multitasking and doing everything that comes our way !

What if, on some deep reflection, you discover that the onus to make things happen lay only on you ? Just think that inspite of you being bombarded with requests, orders, and distractions of all kinds, wasn't it still within our control to work out things properly, had we focused and concentrated on the right things, in the right way !!!

Yes, you read it right, FOCUS and CONCENTRATION, did us in, and that's why we couldn't manage to extract the best from the day. Just try and recollect your juggling and shuffling acts  from the day (shifting focus among multiple tasks/ activities) that did not let you give sufficient time to any of the task to ensure its' completion. This cycle keeps getting repeated day after day, leaving us to wonder whether this is how things will ever remain or there's some way to change it !

The good news is that there's definitely a way we could change it and that's what i am going to cover in this post. The tool/ technique that can work magic, in this scenario, is known as POMODORO . Let's look at what it is all about

Definition and Background of Pomodoro

Pomodoro Technique is a time management/ productivity tool that promotes working in a focused manner for a time interval of 25 minutes (as professed mostly), followed by a short break of about 3-5 min. (More will be described in sections below)

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo, www.francescocirillo.com,  in the late 1980s ( the first pomodoro in 1987) when Francesco was a student studying in the first year of his college. The Pomodoro Technique was developed out of his need for an effective study method/ technique, as he was passing through a phase of low productivity and high confusion. The term "Pomodoro" is named so because the first timer that the author used was a kitchen timer in the shape of a "tomato".

When to use Pomodoro ?

The Pomodoro is very effective in many situations. For the sake of context, i am mentioning below the four key areas where we struggle most and where Pomodoro technique could help us immensely in addressing the bootlenecks 

• Procrastination : when we tend to keep postponing important task for some later day 
• Prioritisation : when we are unable to decide about which tasks/ activities to take up first
• Productivity : when our efforts do not give proportionate results 
• Planning : when we constantly set unrealistic timelines

Why to use Pomodoro ?

Few of the key benefits of using Pomodoro are as below :

• Time 

• reduce/ remove anxiety
• manage tasks/ activity better

• Productivity
• achieve more with less effort 
• finish more tasks

• Establishing right priority

• Personal Improvement : provides opportunity for
• self-observation/ self-reflection
• course correction 

Resources/ Material Needed

Sample of filled in Pomodoro sheets
Source: Internet

• Timer - electronic or digital
• Pencil/ Pen
• Following sheets (printed/ hand drawn)

• Activity Inventory - This contains the activities as they come up during the day. These are the Unplanned activities. At the end of the day, the activities that have been completed are ticked off.  

• To Do Today - filled at the start of the day and contains all the tasks/ activities planned for the day, mentioned with priority. This sheet also contains a section called "Unplanned and Urgent" to list all the unexpected tasks (that needs to be addressed) that come up during the day

• Records - This sheet captures the effort for each task/ activity in terms of the number of Pomodoro. This is update once, usually at the end of the day.

How to implement/ apply Pomodoro ?

Implementing the Pomodoro technique is very simple and consists of the following key steps 

• Set the timer to 25 minutes for the first Pomodoro 
• Refer to the "To Do Today" sheet and start with the first activity mentioned
• Work on the activity till the timer rings
• Fill the "To Do Today" list by putting a "tick" against the current Pomodoro finished.
• Take a 3-5 minutes break
• Start with the next Pomodoro from the list 
• After 4 Pomodoros, take a 15-30 minutes long break

Now, let's look at an important "IF" scenario

• If/ When Pomodoro gets Interrupted: It's next to impossible to insulate ourselves from the outside world. There will always be disturbances when we work. While doing Pomodoro, there are 2 kinds of interruptions that may occur and those are :

• Internal Interruptions - these are self-created/ self-driven distractions imposed by our urges like getting up for water/tea/ snacks, or to call a friend, to look for something, and similar things. To address them, we need to reflect on these to decide whether they are urgent enough to be taken up immediately. If yes, then we need to put an apostrophe (') in the appropriate "To Do Today" sheet and mention them under the "Unplanned and Urgent" section in the "To Do Today" list. In case, they are not urgent, then they get mentioned in the "Activity Inventory" with a U (Unplanned ) alongwith a tentative date mentioned for each of the activity.

• External Interruptions - these refer to the distractions created by others and may refer to tasks being imposed by others, emails from others, call from  others, and similar ones. When these occur, firstly we need to put a dash (-) against the Pomodoro activity when it happened in the "To Do Today" sheet. Then, based on their level of urgency we address them using the Inform - Negotiate -Call Back" and decide where to place them, whether in the "Unplanned and Urgent" section of "To Do Today" sheet or in the "Activity Inventory" sheet, marked as " U(Unplanned)", just like the way we do with the internal interruptions.    

Where all we can use Pomodoro ?

Pomodoro is a simple yet very powerful technique used both in Individual and Team setup. It can be successfully applied to activities like studying, writing, meeting, presentations, events, planning , projects, and many more.

Always Remember about Pomodoro

• The Pomodoro is indivisible ( we can't half a half or quarter pomodoro)
• The plural of Pomodoro is Pomodori ( when we refer to multiple pomodoros, we address them as pomodori)
• Each Pomodoro is of 25 minutes duration, followed by a 3-5 minutes break
• After every four Pomodoros, take a 15-30 minutes break
• If a task takes more than 5-7 Pomodoros, break it down to several activities
• Never use the break periods to do things related to Pomodoro activity. The idea of break time is "free time", so do activities that will help relax and recharge the brain, maybe having tea/ coffee/ general chat with friend/ colleague/ eat a healthy snack/ read an article quickly, do a quick stretch, etc.
• Don't use this technique for/ during "free time" / "break time". That time is meant for relaxation. 
• If a task less than one Pomodoro, add it up (combine with similar simple activities)
• If a Pomodoro gets interrupted, then it becomes void and we need to start with a new Pomodoro
• If a Pomodoro begins, it has to ring (for closure). (Ring connotes a sound, beep, timer sound, etc.)
• If a task finishes early in a Pomodoro, review the work till the Pomodoro rings (till 25 minutes get over)
• Protect the Pomodoro (in case of external interruption) by using the "Inform Effectively - Negotiate Quickly - Call Back" strategy. 
• It takes 7-21 days to master the Pomodoro Technique

Trivia about Pomodoro

Here's some trivia about Pomodoro

• In Italian, Pomodoro means "tomato".

• The reason behind 25 minutes is based on the research which suggests that anywhere between 20-45 minutes time interval can maximixe a person's attention and mental activity. The 25 minute duration for Pomodoro was arrived at after conducting few experiments with the audience to check for the appropriate duration for a person to be active.  

Resources to Refer

• Templates for Sheets (To Do Today, Activity Inventory and Records) : You may download the sheets for free from the Francesco's websote at https://francescocirillo.com/products/the-pomodoro-technique-sheets
• Dedicated blog about the technique :  https://francescocirillo.com/blogs/pomodoro
• App :There are plenty of Pomodoro apps available for both Android and iOS platform. You may visit this link   https://zapier.com/blog/best-pomodoro-apps/
• I tried an online/ web based timer and i sort of liked it. Here's the link https://tomato-timer.com/. There's also a free timer available on Francesco's website at       https://francescocirillo.com/products/pomodoro-timer-software
• You may browse through and buy the books on Pomodoro here - Books on Pomodoro
• Here's the link for buying the interesting Pomodoro timer - Timer 

Please note that you may find slight variation in the format of the Sheets used for Pomodoro. I have restricted myself to using the ones originally mentioned by the Francesco Cirillo, the creator of Pomodoro. 

And, just in case you are wondering about the title of this post - the tick refers to the check that we put after completing a Pomodoro and tock refers to the clicking of the timer . Also, i took about 5 pomodori for writing this post :)

Don't wait and go Pomodoring today !

N.B. - The images used in this post/ article have been sourced from the internet. 

The post also contains some affiliate links and i may earn some commission for my endorsement, testimonial, and/ or link to any product or service from this post  

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