This semester I am taking an Educational Leadership class. One of the topics covered in the class was productivity and how it is essential for a leader to be productive in their work and home lives. Our task was to select 3 productivity methods and implement them into our lives for 4 weeks.
The first method I implemented is the Pomodoro Technique. The idea behind this technique is to make better use of your time. When you have a task to be completed, you set a timer for a certain amount of time (usually 15-25 minutes). During this time you focus on the task. When the time is up, the timer is again set for 5 minutes where you can take a break from the task. You repeat this technique until your task is completed. I found this to be very helpful for me in completing my homework in a more efficient way and amount of time. Before I was often distracted by outside sources such as Facebook, Pinterest or a snack in the kitchen. I not only was able to complete my tasks much quicker because I was focusing on them, but they were also better quality because I hadn't spent so much of the time distracted.
I used an online timer because it was silent. The louder kitchen timers that tick distracted me from the task. As displayed on the screenshot below, the timer counts down and then rings when the time is up.
The second technique I incorporated into my life was use an old-fashioned paper day planner. Previously, I had been using three different calendars and hadn't ever taken the time to sync them. Thus I had 3 different places where events were recorded and often each calendar contained different events. Not very efficient or productive. The day planner was convenient because I could take it with me wherever I go. It could sit on my desk at work, travel to the grocery store with me, etc.
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| Before: three calendars not synced |
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| After: one calendar that is small and light enough to take everywhere |
I love to make lists and nothing makes me feel more productive than to cross things off my list. There is nothing better than looking at a list where all the tasks are crossed off. The only problem for me is that I tend to put everything on my lists. And I possibly tend to put things on my list just so I can cross them off... which of course means you end up with a to do list that's 10 miles long. The third productivity method I decided to implement came from organizational guru David Allen. He stresses the importance of clearing your head of unimportant things in order to stay on top of other things. He suggests choosing the three most important tasks that need to be done each day and completing those. Other things can be saved for later or delegated to others. Initially it was extremely hard to only put three things on my list because that meant I couldn't put fluff things just for the sheet enjoyment of crossing them off. Like the Pomodoro Technique, I found by implementing this, I was actually able to accomplish more because I wasn't so stressed about crossing 55 things off my list. I was able to focus on the three, complete them early in the day (as Allen suggests) and move on. Sigh. How nice.
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| Before: long daily lists that were impossible to complete in one day |
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| More long lists |
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| Three small tasks. How nice.
Overall I really, really enjoyed this assignment. The whole time I have been in graduate school while working full time, I have felt the need to simplify and organize my life. I knew that I was not always making efficient use of my time and setting myself up for failure with mile-long to do lists. These three easy techniques really helped me to simplify my life and feel productive and successful. It showed me how essential it is for me to be organized and be on top of things, to free up cognitive and calendar space. I wasn't trying to coordinate three calendars, or conquer long lists of things that truly could wait until later, but instead I was accomplishing what needed to be done and leaving time to really take two minutes to breath.
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