A Pomodoro Alternative is the Flowtime Technique.
There are a plethora of productivity tactics available today, many of which promise to help you work more efficiently. Few techniques are as well-known and frequently utilized as the Pomodoro Technique, which is one of the most popular. According to this time-management method, you should divide your job responsibilities into 25-minute chunks and take breaks in between each chunk.
The concept is based on the premise that most individuals lose concentration after 25 minutes of continuous work and will want a break to stay productive. The difficulty with such approach is that no two jobs are the same as each other. And, for that matter, no two persons are the same! As a result, a productivity system that is one size does not fit all cannot possibly be the optimum fit for everyone.
However, there is an option that offers more flexibility and enables you to tailor it to your individual use cases. You can use the Flowtime Technique to increase your productivity and get more done. Here’s everything you need to know about how to apply it and start getting more done.
What Is the Flowtime Technique and How Does It Work?
Even though it is not as well-known as the Pomodoro Technique, the Flowtime Technique has been in use for quite some time. Many aspects of it are a direct descendant of Pomodoro’s style. Developed by Zoe Read-Bivens as a way of coping with some of the flaws she encountered when using the Pomodoro method, it has been widely adopted.
She discovered that adhering to 25-minute work portions often interfered with her flow, which is the sensation of being completely involved in a certain job, and that this ended up hindering rather than improving her productivity. When she realized she needed to remedy the issue, she set out to develop a method that would keep the good components of the Pomodoro Technique while also enabling her to get into and maintain a positive flow.
The Flowtime Technique’s Fundamentals are as follows:
Before you can begin utilizing the Flowtime Technique, you’ll need to first establish a timesheet to assist you keep track of the tasks you’ll be doing throughout the day. You may do this task using a spreadsheet or by hand, whatever method is most comfortable for you. Include the following column headers in the first line of your timesheet’s header:
Name of the task Start time End time Time \Interruptions
Time for Work and Breaks
Your timesheet will serve as the main means of keeping track of your daily duties and establishing a workflow that is most efficient for you. Here’s how to use it after you’ve got it all set up on your computer:
1. Select a Task to Perform
To get started, choose a task that you would want to do. It should be particular, and it should be something you can fairly do in the amount of time available to you. Instead of selecting a job such as “paint my home,” try something more challenging. Something like “paint the front entrance of my home” would be appropriate. If you choose a task that is too broad, you will have problems staying on track with the project. As a result, strive to break down your tasks into the smallest doable bits.
2. Get to Work on Your Assignment.
The next step is to begin working on your assignment. Begin by filling out the relevant area on your timesheet with the job you want to do throughout the day. Then, make a note of the time you’ll be commencing work. Following the completion of your work, the only rule that must be followed is that no more than one task may be completed at a time. This will assist you in staying focused on what you need to do and minimizing any self-imposed distractions that may arise.
3. Keep working till you feel like taking a break.
After then, you are free to continue working on your stated assignment for as long as you choose. If you see yourself becoming exhausted after 15 minutes, take a 15-minute pause and rest. If you get into a productive groove and lose track of time, and you wind up working for an hour straight, that’s perfectly OK as well.
The goal is to get familiar with your own habits and work in segments that are most comfortable for you. If you find it difficult to concentrate on specific jobs, try working on them for shorter periods of time. Even if you get distracted by other sorts of duties, you should try to optimize your productivity by working for as long as you are able to maintain concentration.
The longest duration of time you’ll be able to maintain will most likely be about 90 minutes or so. Essentially, this correlates to your Ultradian Rhythm, which is comprised of the alternating intervals of alertness and slumber that our brains experience at various points during the day.
Plenty of case studies have been conducted to indicate that taking frequent breaks may increase productivity.
Another rationale for the Pomodoro Technique’s need for regular pauses is to prevent burnout. The less-structured Flowtime approach to breaks, on the other hand, has been shown to be as effective. Despite the fact that no compulsion was in place, one technology business that recently encouraged its staff to take breaks every hour as they saw appropriate saw productivity levels climb by 23 percent.
4. Take a Properly-Lengthened Break from Your Work
When you determine that you need a break, take advantage of the opportunity to do so immediately. Remember to put down your stop time on your timesheet in the proper location on your time sheet. While you have the option to take a break for as long or how short you choose, don’t overdo it. It won’t be long until your breaks take up the bulk of your time if you don’t take action.
For example, as a general rule of thumb, consider taking a five-minute break for every 25-minute work session, and increasing your break duration correspondingly as your work period becomes longer. Using a timer can help to ensure that you return to your job inside the allotted time period And when your break comes to an end, don’t forget to note the time you returned to work as well as the duration of the break you enjoyed.
5.Keep track of interruptions as they occur.
It is inevitable that you will get sidetracked when working, no matter how hard you work. It might manifest itself as a phone call, an urgent email, or simply the need to go to the restroom. When these occurrences occur, you should note them in the interruption column of your timesheet. Make every effort to reduce distractions to a minimum, but avoid attempting to shut them out completely.
The reason for this is because you are unlikely to succeed, and occasionally the things that distract you will be a bigger priority than the task at hand. Because of this, instead of merely working through distracting situations, it is critical to deal with them as you see appropriate.
6) Continue till the job is finished.
You just need to repeat the preceding procedures until the tasks you’re now working on are completed. Make a note of the time you reached the end of each job as you go. It is possible to compute your total work time (and fill it in) as you complete a job, or you may perform all of the arithmetic at the end of the day if you so choose.
It is just important that you do not leave any gaps in your time tracking. As soon as you have completed your timesheets, you’ll have a valuable tool that will assist you in developing a work plan that will optimize your daily productivity and efficiency.
Timesheets and What to Do With Them
The act of keeping track of your work hours and break times can assist you in staying on track throughout the day, but there is another crucial purpose for doing so. You will gradually begin to understand how to create a perfect daily routine for yourself as a result of your timesheets.
To that purpose, set aside some time at the end of each week to compare your timesheets with your calendar. You may notice that some patterns tend to form over time, and this is normal. For example, you could find that your most productive work hours are usually before lunch, or that there are particular times of the day when you are more likely to be interrupted. Use this knowledge to make better informed decisions about your schedule for the next day(s).
It is often recommended to group your most critical jobs together when you are most productive. In this case, if you are analyzing extensive property data, you may schedule time for it when you know you will be able to concentrate without being distracted by other activities.
In contrast, you should plan less important work at the times of day when you are more likely to be interrupted while working. When it comes time to react to emails or return phone calls, you’ll be able to tell when you’ll have the time to do so. In addition to increasing your productivity, doing so will also reduce the number of errors you make at work.
Flowtime and the Pomodoro Technique have some important similarities.
Some parallels between the Pomodoro Technique and the Flowtime Technique may have occurred to you if you are acquainted with how the Pomodoro Technique operates. The reason for this, as we’ve explored, is deliberate. In particular, the Flowtime Technique is intended to preserve three important characteristics of the Pomodoro Technique, which are as follows:
1. Accurately track the passage of time.
A major reason why many people find the Pomodoro Technique so useful is because it establishes a rigorous framework that makes time monitoring easier to do so. Working under the time constraint of 25 minutes segments forces you to become keenly aware of the duties you have in front of you as well as your time management strategies. Even just doing so helps you avoid squandering valuable work time, since you are required to account for every minute of your time. Also, this is an advantage of using the Flowtime Technique:
2. Eliminating the use of several devices at once
The Pomodoro Technique requires you to choose a job to work on and to use a timer to measure each work session of 25 minutes, as described above. When you set a timer, you know exactly what you’re attempting to do, and you’re less likely to become distracted and start working on anything else while you’re waiting for the timer to go off.
However, even though you do not need to utilize a timer while using the Flowtime Technique, the act of writing down your work achieves the same result. Being aware that your time spent working on a certain activity will be recorded, you’ll be more likely to continue with it until you’ve finished it, or you’ll be ready to take a break.
Making Breaks More Convenient
Exhaustion is one of the most significant productivity killers, and there is enough evidence to support the notion that regular breaks is critical to sustaining optimum job performance. Breaks are made essential and inescapable, and this is the true key of the Pomodoro Technique’s enduring popularity.
While the Flowtime Technique encourages you to take pauses, it does not require them. You will not be forced to take them unless and until you express a willingness to do so. Thus, in order to be successful with the Flowtime Technique, some more self-discipline is essential. However, if you can learn to respect a timer, there’s no reason why you couldn’t learn to heed the signals your body gives you when it needs a break from your activities..
Lastly, a word about
If you use the Pomodoro Technique, you may achieve success at the end of the day. In the end, there’s a good reason why it’s so widely used. However, if you’ve been using it for a while and are finding yourself strained against its hard architecture, you’re not alone in feeling this way! Try the Flowtime Technique for at least a week or two if you are interested in learning more. Some people say it is a lot better match for their work style and that they get even more work done than they did before they started using it.