By Patrick Villanueva, Media Lab Assistant
During these times, I know it can be a challenge to balance remote work and home life. You have a Zoom meeting in the morning, another in the afternoon. You need to finish work things by a certain time. You also need to figure out dinner by another time. Maybe you get a distracting notification or call. Perhaps you have kids or family that require your attention at a moment's notice, countless times during the day. On some days, you're productive for one thing and not so much on another. You hear some COVID-19 news, your mind goes elsewhere. You get the picture. The list goes on and on. Everything becomes a juggling act, and it gets tougher.
I learned to depend on a timeboxing method called the Pomodoro Technique in a previous work experience as a Ruby on Rails developer. It's a great tool to help you stay focused, stay productive and helps move tasks and projects toward completion. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it was previously mentioned with the Focus To-Do App for iOS and Android devices. I haven't tried it personally, but please feel free to check it out.
Quoted from creator Francesco Cirillo's website:
"Over 2 million people have already used the Pomodoro Technique to transform their lives, making them more productive, more focused and even smarter. For many people, time is an enemy. We race against the clock to finish assignments and meet deadlines. The Pomodoro Technique teaches you to work with time, instead of struggling against it. A revolutionary time management system, it is at once deceptively simple to learn and life-changing to use."
The Pomodoro Technique is comprised of 25-minute intervals of work (called Pomodoros), short 5-minute breaks and a longer 15-minute break to end the cycle. You work for 25-minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat the 30-minute practice two more times. After a fourth Pomodoro, you take a longer 15-minute break.
At the beginning of each Pomodoro, list down a few tasks that you'd like to complete during that time. Focus in on them, get to work and do your best to get it done. There's no need to worry about incomplete tasks when the time is up – they can be moved to the next Pomodoro. Take your break and start another Pomodoro. Repeat the cycle. There's really nothing more to it. For workdays, adjust cycles for lunchtime as needed.
In my experience, the Pomodoro is about right for a focused session. The technique encourages you to get up and prevents prolonged sitting periods, which is a healthy practice. It somewhat becomes a game with yourself as you find a good workflow. There are many Pomodoro timer apps that are free to download and use. Find one that works best for you in the list below.
Supplemental Tools
For The Pomodoro Technique, here are a few helpful links.
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Tomatoist! is a Pomodoro web application I recommend. It's browser-based, so there’s nothing to download.
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Mac Users: start with App Store selections
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PC Users: start with these Microsoft Apps
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For iOS devices, try Focus To-Do.
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For Android devices, see the Google Play store.
A powerful complement to the Pomodoro Technique is background music created specifically to help with focus. If you're not bothered by sounds or music to get things done, here are a few that I'd recommend:
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Brain.fm is scientifically created to help affect your brain differently. Their technology is patented and highly tested. They include areas of focus, relaxation and sleep. If interested, this code gives you a free month's access. (FYI: This is my referral link, which doesn’t give me anything back.)
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Classical Music has been known to help with focus, namely Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Go to town on YouTube.
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A Soft Murmur is a free online music generator that allows you to customize your own ambient sounds.
You may also want to explore Chrome or other browser extensions that block sites (namely social media!) for sharper focus, like the following:
And lastly, I’m pleased to share that both Kristin and I are now available for individual virtual sessions! You can fill out the form at https://www.lakeforestlibrary.org/services/technology/one-one-tech-help for 30-minute sessions. We’d be happy to see you all again, even if it is online, and see how we can help. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us at lfmedialab@gmail.com. Until next time, stay safe!