Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.
If you are guilty of spending too much time on a project, whether it’s one you love or hate, or if you are feeling that you are losing productivity, you may want to start timing yourself and taking forced breaks to keep fresh and focused while avoiding brain freeze, eye strain, and neck cramps. If the first happens, you may not even be aware of the other two! What about those phone calls that are supposed to be quick and efficient and end up eating an hour of your time?
I tease my Coaching students about my twelve-step program for Studio addicts. They all think I’m kidding until they get to the third week of the six week session. Then I hear reports of having so much fun they can’t stop thinking of new ways to tweak their renderings, or spouses asking why they’re still up at 2:30 in the morning.
I’ve discovered a good solution to these addictions, obsessions, time wasting spirals we find ourselves in….
Check out this cool app for your computer. It’s based on the Pomodoro Technique of working for twenty-five minutes, then taking a five minute break. After four work periods, you take a fifteen to thirty minute break.
http://www.focusboosterapp.com/download It’s free, easy to understand, and looks good – what more could you want?! All you see on your screen is the narrow black bar; click on the little i to change the settings. It can also be minimized and you’ll see the icon in your system tray near your clock.
www.lifehacker.com viewers recently voted it their favorite among the top five contenders for timing devices. Also recommended by Kim Komando, Computer Goddess; www.addictivetips.com for those who get distracted easily or want to value their time more fully; and www.ilovefreesoftware.com
I look on this as a way to reboot my own internal computer, to refresh my resources. Let us know if it works for you!
