Whether it’s your first time on a new project, or a task you have done many times before, you will always have to balance the volume of work with the time available. If you are working in a new functional team serving unfamiliar clients in a new industry, then there will obviously be tasks that you have never encountered before. This will increase the amount of time needed to create a deliverable.
How you approach your work can impact the overall outcome. A tool I used in grad school was the Pomodoro Technique, which involves setting a timer for 25 minutes, sitting down to a focused working session, and then taking a short break. I have since revised the technique for consulting type work.
There are four main parts to the pomodoro that make it successful:
- Plan – 5 minutes
- Work – 20-30 minutes
- Review – 5 minutes
- Break – 5 minutes
Using this structure, each working block will be up to 45 minutes in length, which is easy enough to fit into your calendar. Block out this time, and protect it against distractions as well as all but the most urgent and important of interruptions.
1. Planning your work
This is by far the most important phase of the work block, where you visualize the work and anticipate any issues you may face before starting. It’s ok to spend more time on this segment, especially if you anticipate the work will take multiple hours to complete. You will need to decide how to chunk the work and plan when to get it done. It’s also good practice to have a quick connect with a senior team member before diving into the work in order to review your plan and make sure the team is aligned on who is doing what.
Here are some questions to ask yourself during the planning phase:
- What is the deliverable going to look like?
- Do I have all the inputs needed, including project related reference materials?
- Do I understand the process to complete the work?
- What is a good check point to pause and check progress?
- Who can I go to for help if I have questions?
As you transition into working mode, get your timer out. Once you set the timer and press start, you have transitioned into your working block.
2. Working
As you begin working, stay focused on the task of making progress towards your pre-defined end point or deliverable. Identify points of friction or issues with your plan that may need to be reviewed in the next stage.
Beware of distractions, including those related to the project. For example, let’s say you are preparing slides and need to find a statistic, which requires you to find another reference. It’s better to stay focused on the slides and make a note of the information needed so that you can set up a working block just to find additional information.
To help you work more efficiently and effectively try to:
- Estimate the amount of time it will take to complete a segment of work.
- Determine a time limit or checkpoint for your working block.
- Figure out how best to avoid or turn off distractions to help you focus.
- Follow a pre-determined process for completing the work.
Once you hear the timer go off, wrap up the task you are on, and pause for a quick review.
3. Reviewing your work
Taking 5 minutes to review your progress is important so that you can improve the work or, if possible, refine the process so you can delegate it to someone else.
If everything is going smoothly and you know exactly what to do and how long it will take, then you might just focus on making a quick quality control (QC) checklist. It’s easy to make mistakes, and considering where they may happen can help you to catch them before the deliverable gets sent to the client. If things are going well, but taking longer than expected, it’s a good idea to check in with the team and give a quick update. If you are struggling, this is a good point to ask for help.
Here are some tasks you can do during your review:
- Give an update to your team and, if needed, adjust your time estimate.
- Ask for help or additional clarity, if needed.
- Identify if you can save time by eliminating or automating steps, e.g., using macros.
- Identify any steps that demand extra attention due to being error prone or requiring more manual effort.
It’s important to take breaks for your body and mind, even if it’s just for a couple minutes.
4. Taking a break
Generally you can take a 5-minute break after each working block, and after 4 working blocks take a longer break (20 to 30 minutes). This could be a lunch break, commute, networking call, or just pausing to slow down the day. The shorter breaks are good for your body, while the longer breaks can be more focused on refreshing your mind.
Here are some tips for taking a break:
- Try to do something that involves movement, e.g., get out of your chair and walk around.
- Use the 20-20-20 rule. That is, looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes or so. This will help to prevent computer vision syndrome.
- For short breaks, don’t use a platform with a feed unless you set a timer. That is, avoid apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- For longer breaks, try to schedule something that is non-work related, but helps your day move along.
The bottom line
We all have work to do.
By adopting a structured process, you will be able to save time, produce higher quality work, get more done, and gain a sense of order and control over your daily professional working environment.
Andrew Kuczmarski is a PhD candidate at the University of Delaware whose passion lies at the intersection of science and business.
Image: Pixabay
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