Timebox.

Do you sometimes feel unfocused ? Like you can’t get that fog out of your head ? Low on energy ? Have trouble concentrating ?

I used to feel that way, until I discovered a basic simple truth. See, a day is more or less like a mini-marathon – there are a thousand things to do, to remember and to take care of. And like a marathon, if you just start running without a strategy or a plan you’ll likely run out of energy way before the finish line.

Experienced runners understand that they need a plan to get to the finish line – a plan that includes when to pace themselves, when to eat something, when to take in liquids and when to give it that extra push to beat their “best” time.

You Say Tomato, I Say Pomodoro

In business, the equivalent is to plan your day and time box it. For several years now, I have been using the Pomodoro technique and the results have been nothing short of astonishing. Not only am I more focused on the task at hand, but I have more energy throughout my day and just plainly get more done.

On the days that I don’t use it (mostly because I can’t) I keep finding I spend too much time on things that don’t matter, take too long to accomplish something or run out of steam late afternoon. And – even thought I can’t explain it – I feel like I have less energy and am often drained at the end of the day.

And the best of all ? You know how sometimes you can get so involved in something you spend much, MUCH more time on it than you should ? Well, no more. An unexpected benefit of having a short break every 25 minutes is that it helps me ask a very simple question – am I working on this task in the most efficient and effective way possible ? Is the effort I am putting in in line with the importance of the task ? Am I performing as well as I can, or is there something I need to change ?

Things have gone so far I even bought a chicken-shaped timer that I have in my office – which turned out to be a great conversation starter. Before I started using Pomodoro, I used to feel unfocused and – frankly – was nowhere near performing at my peak level. Needless to say, I cannot recommend it enough.

PS. One of the BEST things about Pomodoro is that it is … absolutely free. Download a free digital version of the Pomodoro book here, and get started today !