Advice from Grandma: The Pomodoro Technique (with video!)
My grandmother was so smart. She was skilled in a lot of ways, but today we’re talking task management and getting into flow state. When I was young and “lollygagging” around, not getting my chores or homework (especially math!) accomplished, complaining about being bored, she’d set a timer. She had a tomato shaped wind up kitchen timer, and I was asked to focus on nothing but the task at hand until the timer went off. Surprise! It worked! The consistent “tick tick tick” reminded me to keep going, and I knew the bell would ring, and I’d soon be free to play. A few decades later, I still use a timer to help my ADHD brain focus on tedious work. Completion of the task in the allotted time becomes it’s own reward, and even the most monotonous task (laundry) can almost be fun if you think of it as a game. Fast forward to my adventures in continuous improvement and lifelong learning, I’d been hearing about the Pomodoro Technique and about a year ago, decided to explore