Do you Pomodoro? Are you trying to find a way to be more productive, but always find yourself sitting down to work only to find yourself fighting distractions? As a Mompreneur it can be hard to finish projects. We wear a lot of hats and there are always 5, 10 or 20 more things to do on the to-do list. It’s time to find our focus and knock the work out, leaving plenty of time for family fun!

Let me introduce you to my secret weapon… The Pomodoro Technique!

According to Wikipedia, “The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are known as “pomodori”, the plural of the Italian word pomodoro for “tomato.” The method is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.”

You can read all about the technique here The Pomodoro Technique.

Without a doubt this is the number one way I get anything accomplished. Like many mompreneurs or solopreneurs (or even entrepreneurs, we’re not discriminating here), I am focused on both providing an income and balancing my work/family life.  But I want to be an EntrepreDOer, because at the end of the day it’s what I get DONE that matters!

I want to run my business to enhance my family life, not take away from it.  Being productive and knocking out my to-do list is how I can calmly walk away from the computer and not feel anxiety about work left undone.

There are several apps you can get for free in the Google Chrome Store, and/or on a smart phone. My favorite desktop app is Strict Workflow. It uses a 25 minute work, 5 minute break system and  in the options will allow you to set up blocked websites to minimize distractions. It comes prepopulated with a list of likely suspects, including

facebook.com

youtube.com

twitter.com

tumblr.com

pinterest.com

myspace.com

livejournal.com

digg.com

stumbleupon.com

reddit.com

kongregate.com

newgrounds.com

addictinggames.com

hulu.com

If you try to access any of these sites during your 25 minute work session you will see a message reminding you that the site is blocked until your work session is over. It’s a great reminder to get back to work! You can edit the list of blocked sites but I find that it really keeps me from getting distracted to keep their list intact, I’ve even added a few more websites of my own.

If you would rather have a timer on your phone (I have both, but I’m a true fan of the system!) then Pomodroido is my pick. Pomodroido lets you set a task reminder as you are starting your 25 minute work session, which I find focuses me. For instance I set a task reminder that for this particular 25 minute pomodoro work session I am going to write this blog article. When I hit start I know that for the next 25 minutes writing this article is my only focus. When the timer rings I get a 5 minute break to get up, handle any issues for the kids, grab a drink or just stretch my legs.  If I need access to websites for research, information, links or images I leave notes in my article and add them all at the end when looking the information up won’t derail my progress in getting the article written.

When I apply this productivity strategy I find that my to-do list is much more manageable.  Are you Pomodoro fan? Do you plan to try it out? Leave a comment below and let me know if the technique has helped you be more productive!

Cheers,

Traci