A Simple Hack to Improve Your Productivity

By John Millen

I see a lot of people online promoting productivity, but most of them create complicated systems that seem to take too much work for minimal benefits.

I’m always trying to find ways to be more productive but without any added friction.

With this in mind, I want to share a simple method I’ve been using for several years.

Solution A: 25 minutes

I’ve created 25-minute timed sprints, followed by a mandatory 5-minute break. In fact, I’m using that technique to write this article and the timer says I have 17 minutes remaining.

This practice is commonly referred to as the "Pomodoro Technique." It was developed in the 1980s by a then-college student in Italy named Francesco Cirillo. The word "Pomodoro" is Italian for tomato.

Cirillo coined the term after the tomato-like kitchen timer he used to gauge his intervals. Cirillo has created a business with resources around the concept. You can learn more at his website.

I’ve kept it simple by ordering this inexpensive timer from Amazon.* It can be set for up to 60 minutes. (It also works in the kitchen, of course.) This is an easy way to increase your productivity.

On my desk, I keep a a list of my important tasks for the day and choose one, or a part of a larger task, and get to work for 25 minutes. The timer beeps and I grab some coffee or a snack.

Salutation B: 15 minutes

The other technique I use is even more focused. I frequently set the timer to 15 minutes for challenging tasks. I tell myself I don’t have to complete the whole task, just do as much as I can in 15 minutes and move on.

What frequently happens, though, is that I feel the progress I’m making and reset the timer to 15 minutes several more times. I think this is effective because when we face what seems like a daunting task over tendency is avoidance.

It turns out that starting is the hardest part.

You could also use your phone as a timer, but I prefer to set my phone on do not disturb and refuse to be distracted by anything else.

At the end of the day, I might have a handful of tasks I completed or on which I made significant progress. Some days having even one critical task completed feels like a major win. You have to take victories where you can in this distracted world.

Just for your context, I’ve been accused of being an overly enthusiastic person so I’ll resist my urge to call this "life-changing." Nonetheless, I have (the timer just beeped) really found the Pomodoro technique to be a significant productivity tool. 

Studies find that human beings today have a 7-second attention span. Given that fact, any tactic or tool that brings real focus will pay outsized dividends in your productivity. 

Give it try and use my contact page to let me know how it goes.

John

* Amazon affiliate link