Boost Your Focus Level
By the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
– know what is Timeboxing
– learn about the Pomodoro Technique
– manage your time better
Timebox your tasks
Similar to planning tasks with deadlines on a scale of several days to weeks, Timeboxing tasks is a way to become more productive during the day.
Timeboxing allocates a fixed time period, called a time box, to each planned activity. Remember the exams you had while at University, for which you had 1 to 4 hours time? Would you have been as productive if there was no time limit to deliver it?
Our advice is to timebox every task that you think takes more than 30 minutes. And if you’re not done and still feel very focused at the end of the task, keep working a few minutes until you’re done or your focus level decreases.
You don’t need an app to timebox your tasks, but there are plenty of tools that help you to do so.
http://www.publicspace.net/Vitamin-R/
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.
These intervals are named pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student. The method is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.
How to avoid interruptions
#1 Silent Mode
– Put your phone and computer on silent mode.
– Close all social network tabs
– Disable automatic notifications on your screen
#2 Noise Around You
– Use headphones: preferably noise-cancelling ones
– Listen to music (without lyrics)
Note that similarly to GTD, the creator suggests to use a mechanical timer, paper and pencil.
It is also available in the further readings section.