Productivity has always been a challenge for me. It seems that I was born under the persistent shadow of a cloud of procrastination, constantly postponing the urgent. Is there a better time to wash the dishes than when you have a pile of pending papers?

Over time, and after countless failed attempts to create unbelievable routines and spending hours procrastinating watching videos on how to stop procrastinating on YouTube, I have gradually discovered what best suits my personality and my living conditions. That’s why today I want to share with you some tips and techniques that have helped me, and others that didn’t work for me, but could work for you. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

The Pomodoro Technique + The 5-minute rule

The Pomodoro Technique

By now, I think we’ve all heard at some point about the famous Pomodoro technique, that kitchen utensil turned study tool. With demonstrated productivity increases and yields, according to a study conducted at Lancaster University that investigated the effectiveness of the Pomodoro Technique in helping students better manage technology-based multitasking during independent study, this technique has been widely disseminated but not many manage to adopt it.

Reference: Usman, S. A. (2020). Using the Pomodoro Technique® to help undergraduate students better manage technology-based multitasking during independent study: A design-based research investigation. Doctoral thesis, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, UK. Retrieved from https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/153513/1/2020usmanphd.pdf

I came to this technique with my suspicions, and during the first sessions I couldn’t get it to work for me. Constant interruptions, I forgot the times, or the rest time came at the moment of maximum work energy and I had to find those energies again.

The 5-minute rule

The problem was that I was following the already written rules instead of creating my own. The Pomodoro Technique involves working intensely for 25 minutes (which represents a “Pomodoro”), followed by a 5-minute break, and after every four “Pomodoros”, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. This is where the five-minute rule comes into play: if a task takes you less than five minutes, then do it. From this moment on, all my tasks were as follows:

• 5 minutes: Choice of task, organization of the workplace, have everything you need close to you.
• 40 minutes: Definitely, my biggest problem was these 25 minutes. They were too short for me and, when I was most hooked on the task, they ended. So I increased it to 40 minutes, getting better results.
• 10 minutes: Dedicated to minor tasks within my main task. For example, if I am reviewing my students’ evaluations and need to keep a record of their difficulties, I use these 10 minutes to make these records.
• 15 minutes: Now yes! The 5 minutes were not enough for me to rest, so I increased them to 15. In most cases, I use these 15 minutes to do my Duolingo lesson or read something on Quora.
• Repeat from point 2.

In general, my tasks do not take more than two repetitions, therefore, these are very personal adjustments. You must find your own.

If you are looking for Pomodoro applications, you will find many with many add-ons and functions. Personally, I prefer Pomodoro Timer or the web pomofocus.io, which have a very careful and intuitive interface.

The most important thing when implementing these methods is to have a quiet place dedicated to this moment, avoiding external distractions, social media, and phone notifications. It also plays an important role to work on only one task at a time instead of multitasking, although the cited study shows that it can help with multitasking. In my case, jumping from one task to another only managed to distract me.

Thus, combining these two techniques and after several failed attempts, I managed to adjust it to my life, without pressures and as far as I deem convenient. There were moments of frustration and discouragement, thinking that I should return to the do it when you can method.

Final words

To improve productivity there are investigations, yes, but there is no absolute truth. Adapt and improve, change what doesn’t work for you, appropriate and mix methods and tools. Investigate and know yourself, what are your most productive moments of the day, what makes you procrastinate and look for the most effective way to combat it.

Each of us is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. So I encourage you to try, to experiment and to find that method that suits you, your pace and your needs. Remember, productivity is not about doing more, but about doing what matters. And I am sure that you, like me, can find that formula that allows you to live a more productive and satisfying life.

Finally, I want to advise you something very important: rest. You will not be productive with sleep or exhausted. Take your time to regain energy, take a walk or have some company, virtual or real.

Resources used:

• Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
• Screenshot from the website pomofocus.io during one of my work sessions.
• Presented images edited by me using Adobe Illustrator.
• Initial translation using Google Translator.

Article first published on my personal blog at HIVE.