Did you know that your body works in cycles of natural energy and focus?
The well-known Pomodoro technique is one of the easiest ways to help you build a rhythm in your work schedule that embraces natural energy and focus.
Francesco Cirillo discovered this technique in the late 1980’s. You start with a 25 minute work cycle and rest for 5 minutes. This is one cycle. After four cycles you get to take a 15-30 minute break depending on your preference.
Reasons Techniques Are Not Working
We live in an instant gratification society where we want instant results and solutions to all our problems. This is why so many people lack focus.
Instead of trying to completely overhaul your way of life, try just one increment at a time. Then gradually build up over a few months until you spend all day in this work and rest cycle. Our minds are a muscle that requires exercising. I don’t know too many people who can go out and run a marathon without any prior running experience or training. Start slow and build up strength and confidence over time. When we take on too much, we fail. Start right now, but start small.
Getting Smart With Rewards
Rewards can be anything from spending five minutes on Twitter, Facebook, moving around, getting some fresh air, drinking coffee, playing a game on your smart phone, etc. It is just as important to train yourself to focus as it is to use breaks properly. The reward is up to you because you know what you enjoy and it should be something that you do enjoy. I like Twizzlers! Each time I complete a 25 minute cycle I would remove myself from my work climate and go upstairs to get the Twizzlers. By doing this, I change my physical state and location. When I returned I could focus more easily, again. After a few work and rest cycles, I change my emotional state by taking a 15 minute break and wrestle around with my kids.
Lessons Learned From Tracking Cycles
Gradually over a few weeks my work and rest ratios became a part of my natural cycle. I was able to turn on and off my focus when I entered and left those environments. The most cycles I was able to complete in one day is 19. My best days were Tuesdays and Thursdays. I also discovered that my best time zones were from 7-10 am, 12-3pm and 6-9pm.
The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective – people who know to see a problem as an opportunity.
– Deepak Chopra
What I learned from data I collected was I could work consistently inside this natural pattern for about 3 hours before I needed an extended break due to lack of focus, hunger, other distractions and interruptions.
Each day I progressively challenged myself until I noticed trends in my peak hours, cycles and days of optimal performance and focus. Understanding these peak times and patterns help you embrace the ability to focus your work at natural intervals. You will find the ability to focus is much easier. You will feel incredibly fresh and productive throughout the day and during the week.
I love how focused you are, Kirby. Great quote from Deepak Chopra. I have used the Pomodoro technique before and it works well. Great suggestion!
Thanks Adam, it’s been quite a journey to get to this point.
I confess: when I saw this title, I thought I was going to be reading about some new study on how tomatoes increase focus!
I’m pretty focused. You’re clearly pretty focused, as well, Kirby (you even focus on how to focus!). A focused (or maybe I should say “generally organized”) person can take a new technique and try it out, because there is already a baseline of self-control, awareness, desire, etc. I do wonder, however, how much success generally UNFOCUSED people have with trying new techniques. For instance (based on my decades of working with teens who have organizational issues), if such a person were to try this technique, would they really be FOCUSING for those 25 minutes? Or would they be distracted by the clock, checking to see how much longer it was until their “break”? And during that 5-minute break, I suspect they would not be keeping quite as keen an eye on that clock (i.e., the 5-minute break would be 25-ish).
Do you think some people need external controls in order for such a technique to work (i.e., a boss, spouse, parent, etc., to assign tasks, “call time,” and such)? In short, in my experience, unfocused / disorganized people are largely unable to implement positive self-monitored systems for the very reason they need them. Anyone else’s thoughts?