Most of the time, blaming external factors for anything that’s going on in your life is not the way to go. We’ve all been through moments when we just wanted to shout “It’s not my fault, it’s X’s fault!”. Yep, being accountable for your actions isn’t always the easiest thing to do. People go to workshops to practice their ability to take ownership of what happens as a result of their choices and actions for a reason. But, even though our default mode is to encourage you to work on your accountability, I think we found an exception to the rule.
It’s not entirely your fault for being less productive in the summer. It’s just partially your fault. You can say that it’s a situation where you can practice being partially accountable. On a more serious note, there’s a mix of factors that makes it harder for you to concentrate during the summer. Among them are the weather (how can one be as productive when it’s sunny and hot outside as they are when it’s raining/snowing/freezing cold?), FOMO (you can just sense your Fear Of Missing Out vibes tingling when you look out the window and notice people enjoying the outdoors while you have your eyes glued to a laptop on beautiful Wednesday afternoon), and the fact that everyone around you is either on vacation or preparing to go on a vacation.
It can be a real challenge to be productive during the summer. It might be too hot where you’re working, causing you to be a bit more sleepy, or it might be too cold due to the air conditioning, which can also make you feel uncomfy. It’s also easier to get distracted – my eyes are going back and forth from staring out the window to looking at the Google Doc on which I’m writing the article. But, keep in mind we said it’s just partially the season’s fault. You still have a say in how productive you are during the day. And I’m here to show you one of the ways to do that.
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technnique is a productivity booster that encourages you to re-think how you manage your time and tasks during the day. The main goal is to work for 25 minutes and then to rest for 5 minutes. One chunk of 25 minutes is considered a “pomodoro”. After about 4 pomodoros, you should take a longer break of 15-20 minutes.This way, you allow yourself to feel a sense of urgency when it comes to completing your tasks – you no longer have the full day available, but only 25 minutes to do as much as possible. And, through taking break consistently, you are less likely to experience the burnt out feeling some of us feel at the end of a long day. Staying in front of your laptop constantly is part of the reason you might be feeling tired, exhausted, or even unmotivated. It’s important that during your 5-minute breaks you don’t move your eyes from your laptop to your phone, but towards anything else unrelated to technology.
If you’re not sure where to start from with this technique, you can download a timer app or use the timer on your phone to set up alarms every 25 minutes. It doesn’t really matter how you decide to do it, as long as you’re following the method’s steps. Let’s go through them one more time:
- Work for 25 minutes;
- Rest for 5 minutes;
- Repeat;
- After 4 pomodoros, take a 15-20 minutes break.
If you’re not sure whether this technique is the right one for you, you can then just give it a try and not commit to any life changing routine before. As the method’s focus is to reduce any possible impact of internal and external factors, it’s important to note that it might take a while to adapt to this way of working. But, it’s still important to check it out. The Pomodoro Technique is waiting for you to help you increase your attention span and reduce the chances to lose your focus or your flow at work.
If you have other productivity hacks, don’t hesitate to share them with us! We’re planning to expand this topic, so any help is much appreciated.
Written by: Ruxandra Mazilu
