Craving a Productivity Boost? Try This Fresh Idea!
Do you ever write a beautifully organized to-do list with all your important projects, only to get to the end of your day without checking off many tasks?
It happens to all of us! The problem is we’re clear about what we want to get done, but we’re not clear about how much time we actually have.
Here’s a fresh tip that’s working for me and my clients!
You’re probably familiar with the Pomodoro Method where you set a timer for 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. Each of these groupings is called a “pomodoro,” the Italian word for tomato, because the original inventor used a tomato kitchen timer for his intervals.
The idea is to repeat these pomodoro blocks all day to create a sense of urgency. You won’t be tempted to scroll through social media when the clock is ticking.
Now here’s the fun part!
- Type your to-do list into your favorite project management software (Todoist, Notion, Asana, ClickUp, etc.).
- Then for each project or task, insert a tomato emoji (*) at the end to estimate the number of pomodoros you think it will take for you to complete it. For example, if you think something will take an hour, insert 2 tomatoes.
NOTE: WordPress is glitching when I use a real tomato emoji, so pretend that an asterisk (*) is a tomato emoji. - Now with a quick glance, you can see how long your to-do items will take and you can be honest with yourself about how much time you truly have.
If you’re a fan of paper planners, simply draw tomatoes or red dots next to your tasks. Those tomatoes might make you decide to work on your most important projects first because you won’t have time in the afternoon. Or maybe you’ll delete or delegate less-important tasks entirely!
Here’s an example of my to-do list:
- Morning Routine **
- Minimal Daily Business Tasks *
- Write Video Script *
- Record Video **
- Host Mastermind Group Call ***
Send an email to sage@sagegrayson.com and let me know if you try this fresh productivity idea, and share your best tips for conquering your daily to-do list.
Need a pomodoro timer? Watch my video for some No Drama Llamas, which continues to be one of my most popular videos on my YouTube channel.
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