Getting it all done

by Kelly Beischel PhD, RN, CNE

Learning how to use the Pomodoro Technique has saved my life! Ok, that may be a bit melodramatic. But I rely heavily on this strategy to manage all my tasks!

In my previous article, I gave an overview of the Pomodoro Technique. This technique could be used to complete all of the tasks on your to-do list.

I’ve listed 10 Strategies here for getting the most out of your Pomodoro filled day:

1. Embrace your inner Ringmaster.

Be filled with gratitude that you have such a full plate, that you have various opportunities for creative outlets.

2. Prioritize!!

You juggle many balls in your teaching, scholarship and service roles as faculty – not to mention your roles outside of work. Take a moment to think of all the balls you’re juggling. Which balls are made of glass that if dropped would break? These are your priorities.

3. Buy a fun kitchen timer.

There are many varieties. I have one in my home office as well as in my university office.

4. I often work in third spaces

…like bookstores, coffee shops, libraries, and my co-working space. To keep me on task, I use the 30/30 app on my iPhone.

5. DO NOT get up or switch tasks

Think here – answer email, browse Facebook or any of the other 101 things less painful than working – for any reason until the bell rings. Things will pop into your head like “Check to see if they combined my courses in Blackboard” or “Oh crud, I need to write that reference letter for Susan.”

The Pomodoro Technique gurus suggest that when this happens – Make a note of it at the bottom of your “Priority To Do List”. I’ve found that this little technique frees my mind so that I can stay on task rather than worry that I’ll lose that thought.

6. Getting up to walk around or stretch for 3-5 minutes at the ring of the timer is a must.

DO NOT extend past your allotted time. This only leads to burnout. I promise!

7. I often do back stretches during my breaks.

When I need to re-energize I do step-ups on my BOSU Balance Trainer, run up and down my stairs or get a glass of water. I have recently been scheduling my 5 minute breaks to do things like water plants, meditate, or empty the dishwasher.

It is imperative that you set your timer for 5 minutes and when it rings – get back to work. Before I started setting a timer for my breaks, I can’t tell you how many times emptying the dishwasher led to things like creating menus, taking out trash, and doing laundry – all chores I despise but that suddenly sound wonderful when I enter procrastination central!

8. Remember that perfection is the thief of happiness.

Perfection is unachievable. Use your timer to limit the time you waste on perfection. Looking for that perfect graphic for a Power Point presentation? Set a timer for the number of minutes you are willing to spend on it. When the bell rings – you are done whether you found it or not.

9. Give yourself a set number of Pomodoros to complete a task.

When that set number is up, so is the task. I use this when grading. It’s amazing how much faster I have become at grading papers.

10. Track the number of Pomodoro’s you complete

…on your Prioritization To Do List with hash marks so that you know when a break is coming. Remember that after 4 Pomodoro’s take a 15-30-minute break. Do not forgo this break! Again, going over leads to burnout.

Bonus Tip:

I don’t know about you but I consistently underestimate the length of time any task takes to complete causing me to head dive into overwhelm. To combat this, I’m trying something new.

I’m recording the number of Pomodoro’s it takes to complete tasks that I do again and again such as grading, creating tests, and uploading course documents to our Learning Management System. My hope is that this will enhance my estimating abilities.

My timer just rang – gotta go post this article.

I’d love to hear about the techniques you use to get it all done.