Focused Time

Select 8 of something. Paperclips, coins, cards, whatever.

Let each item represent 15 minutes of time. Put all 8 items in a START STACK and also identify a place for a DONE stack. (You can give these spaces better names.)

I'd like you to spend 2 hours (120 minutes) of focused time on your project today. Not on your journal (maybe that at the end or tomorrow but not in the 2 hours.

You may spend that time on any activity, experiment, exercise, diagramming, writing you like...but--if you can--let the emphasis fall on doing, on iterating, on making versions of things.

Maybe you'll work in a two hour stretch. In which case, when you're done...move ALL the Items from the START stack to the DONE stack. And you're finished.

If you want to take a break at any point, for a meal or because you're distracted or stuck, GO AHEAD! Move as many items to the DONE stack as you've spent focused time. And when you come back to work, note the time that you begin to work again.

During the extended period you are intending to work, turn off notifications on your phone. Do not Disturb would be good, too. If you can (if you don't NEED the internet to work), shut off the wifi or turn off your access to it.

If you think you might get hungry, pack yourself a picnic snack before you start to work so, if you want, you can eat and work, too.

It REALLY IS OK to take breaks. It might be that 8 15-minute bursts is just right  for you today.

My suggestion is that when you do take a break, get as far from the site of your working as you can.

My personal experience: working on the computer and then taking a break by PLAYING on the computer is NO BREAK and you'll have a REALLY hard time getting back to work.

Good luck!

Comments

  1. MarkMarch 25, 2020 at 12:01 PM

    This exercise would work well in combo with some of the ideas Katie shared....

    ReplyDelete

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