Whoever wrote about Time Blocking, the Pomodoro Method and Toggl must not have factored in Covid and the pandemic.
A recent Wall Street Journal article nicely described this:
"Before Covid, we were already on the road to meeting burnout. With a Working from Home environment, constant check-ins have become some bosses’ version of micromanaging, a way to keep tabs on workers. Coordination that used to happen by swiveling your chair or walking across the hall now requires extra formality and time for everyone still spread out across home offices. Plus, there’s the sense that empathetic leaders should stay in touch during moments of transition, whether that’s as the world was shutting down last year or as we head back to headquarters now."
All of this has resulted in a need for an evolution away from Time Blocking to a more systematic approach.
In this video, we describe further why Time Blocking is too outdated for today's business environment, and share a more modern approach to managing your schedule as a leader, sales professional or client servicing executive.
Some of the topics I will discuss are?
Why time blocking just doesn’t work, particularly if you are looking to find time for sales AND handling a full client load
How to master time management as a lawyer, financial advisor or CPA
The importance of time management in the workplace
Productivity tips for lawyers, financial advisors and CPA’s
Effective time management strategies
How to systematize your time around business development
Before you watch, you may be asking yourself, wait, what is the Pomodoro Method, and why is Amy providing an alternative to it?
According to Todoist.com, one of my favorite apps out there for project management, here is the description for the Pomodoro Method:
The secret to effective time management is...thinking in tomatoes rather than hours? It may seem silly at first, but millions of people swear by the life-changing power to the Pomodoro Technique. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato.)
This popular time management method asks you to alternate pomodoros — focused work sessions — with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and stave off mental fatigue.
Try the Pomodoro Technique if you...
Find little distractions often derail the whole workday
Consistently work past the point of optimal productivity
Have lots of open-ended work that could take unlimited amounts of time (e.g., studying for an exam, research for a blog post, etc.)
Are overly optimistic when it comes to how much you can get done in a day (aren't we all 🙃)
Enjoy gamified goal-setting
Really like tomatoes
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the late 1980s by then university student Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was struggling to focus on his studies and complete assignments. Feeling overwhelmed, he asked himself to commit to just 10 minutes of focused study time. Encouraged by the challenge, he found a tomato (pomodoro in Italian) shaped kitchen timer, and the Pomodoro technique was born.
Though Cirillo went on to write a 130-page book about the method, its biggest strength is its simplicity:
Get a to-do list and a timer.
Set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings.
When your session ends, mark off one pomodoro and record what you completed.
Then enjoy a five-minute break.
After four pomodoros, take a longer, more restorative 15-30 minute break.
The 25-minute work sprints are the core of the method, but a Pomodoro practice also includes three rules for getting the most out of each interval:
Break down complex projects. If a task requires more than four pomodoros, it needs to be divided into smaller, actionable steps. Sticking to this rule will help ensure you make clear progress on your projects.
Small tasks go together. Any tasks that will take less than one Pomodoro should be combined with other simple tasks. For example, "write rent check," "set vet appointment," and "read Pomodoro article" could go together in one session.
Once a pomodoro is set, it must ring. The pomodoro is an indivisible unit of time and can not be broken, especially not to check incoming emails, team chats, or text messages. Any ideas, tasks, or requests that come up should be taken note of to come back to later. A digital task manager like Todoist is a great place for these, but pen and paper will do too.
In the event of an unavoidable disruption, take your five-minute break and start again. Cirillo recommends that you track interruptions (internal or external) as they occur and reflect on how to avoid them in your next session.
The rule applies even if you do finish your given task before the timer goes off. Use the rest of your time for overlearning, or improving skills or scope of knowledge. For example, you could spend the extra time reading up on professional journals or researching networking opportunities.
While I think the Pomodoro effect can be highly effective for projects and tasks with deadlines, in this video I explain why it may not be effective for sales roles.
How can we help you and your practice? Here are all of our services! Let’s speak.
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