Why didn’t you get started on that speech/task/chore/project/phone call you should’ve done last week? Let me tell you how I got the party started.

But first - why is it so hard to get it started? How do you get something done? To put it absurdly simple; you must start. And starting isn’t easy, it’s a very distant place that’s we don’t really like. So we postpone until no longer postponable. Then we invent deadlines and it barely saves us as we stumble over the project finish line. Phew! I made it!

The Pomodoro technique has changed the way I get things done. By simply GETTING them started. It subtly surrounds the core, the unmanageable tasks, and gives you a motivational push. In a brilliantly, 100% foolproof way. Sounds sophisticated huh?

Here’s the 101: Set a timer (app for iPhone/Android, kitchen timer, computer software) on 25 minutes. Start the task. When the timer stops you’re finished and congrats; you started a task. Even better so - you probably got much longer than you expected.

Why does it work? Maybe because the technique is the opposite of multi-tasking that actually focus on focusing. That’s why.

Are you surprised? The simplest of things sometimes work the best. Give it a try. It’ll only take 25 minutes.

PS. If I finish/start four pomodoros during a day I get a reward. Mostly ice-cream.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 11:14 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.