Use timepods

THE PRINCIPLE

Focusing your activity for 45 minutes at a time increases your productivity

The biggest enemy of productivity is distractions. In an earlier section in this part, I mentioned MADs (Massive Action Days), a somewhat radical way to gain momentum on a project. It’s not always practical to take MADs, so now I offer you a mini-version, timepods.

A timepod is a 45-minute period of time in which you focus all your attention on one task. The steps are as follows:

  1. At the top of a sheet of paper, write down exactly what you intend to accomplish during the 45-minute period.
  2. Make sure you have all necessary materials at hand. When the 45-minute period starts, you should not have to stop to look for files, or a stapler, or a pen.
  3. Make sure you will not be interrupted for 45 minutes. That means switching on the answer-phone, not checking emails, not receiving visitors. In some cases this may mean going somewhere else for that 45 minutes – another office, a coffee shop, a nearby library.
  4. Set a timer or a wristwatch alarm for 45 minutes.
  5. Work with focus and concentration, avoiding any temptation to do anything other than the task at hand.
  6. When the time is up, if you are not within 5 additional minutes of finishing what you described, stop. Take a 5-minute break. Walk around a little or do some simple exercises. Get a drink of water.
  7. If your job requires it, take 10 minutes to catch up with phone messages or urgent emails.
  8. Repeat the process. Gradually you will get better at judging how much you can achieve in the 45 minutes and at eliminating any obstacles or distractions that sneak in.

If you use even just four timepods during the course of an 8-hour day, you will find that your productivity more than doubles.

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