Pomodoro: A Simple Technique for Big Productivity.
The other day I was having coffee with a friend, and we were laughing about how easily we get distracted. Whatever task we’re doing, we somehow end up doing five others at the same time. It feels productive… until suddenly it’s 6PM and you realize: ‘wait, what did I ACTUALLY finish today?’.
I’ve noticed this pattern of mine not just in my corporate work, but also with everything related to LÉPHIINE. Whenever a screen on my laptop is loading, I immediately open another one to ‘quickly start the next thing’. And then I forget the thing I was waiting on and continue with the new one. Repeat that multiple times, and I end the day feeling busy but not accomplished.
My friend admitted he does the EXACT same thing, and he reminded me of the Pomodoro technique. A technique I used to apply when I was still in uni, but somehow completely forgot about.
And to be honest, it makes so much sense why it works for me. Because I’m that type of person that performs incredibly well under pressure but feels absolute trash while doing it. My brain loves a last-minute deadline. It’s chaotic excellence and it gets me places, but it’s also pretty damn exhausting..
I decided to try the Pomodoro technique again – here’s what I do:
Before setting that 25-minute timer, I make a small list of tasks I feel I can really finish within that window. Then I pick the first one and promise myself: Phé, this is the only thing you’re doing for the next 25 minutes.
Of course, my brain constantly comes up with the ‘Oh, I shouldn’t forget to do this’ or ‘Maybe quickly open this application so it can load while I wait…’.
But instead of acting on this impulse, I just scribble it down on the paper next to me and keep going. No opening new tabs. No switching between to-dos. Just staying focused on the task I committed to.
It sounds so simple, I know, but giving myself this tiny deadline and structure helps me finish things?! It gives me the pressure my brain (unfortunately) needs, but without the stress of an actual deadline.
I’ve only been doing this for about two weeks now, but the difference in my focus is huge. I feel less all-over-the-place, and I actually end the day feeling like I completed things! Yay!
Honestly, if you also feel like your attention is all over the place during the day (again, zero judgement here),
give this a try. It might be that tiny bit of structure your brain needs to focus!