Get more done by doing less
Do you want to know the secret?
I know a way to get more done by doing less.
There’s a handy technique which I’m going to share with you because I believe that sharing our knowledge and experiences benefits everyone. But first, let’s look at the problem.
Have you ever had a long trip around a supermarket and then right near the tills picked up a bar of chocolate and impulse bought it? Or stressed about making a really big purchase like a washing machine or a car or even a house, spent ages looking at all of the different options and eventually picked the very next one you see thinking “That’ll do, that’s fine. I’m done with making these decisions.”
This is called decision fatigue.
It’s well documented by psychologists and you can think about it like this: You’ve got a jug filled with mental stamina and every time you make a decision, you tip just a little bit of your mental stamina out of that jug.
Little decision, a little bit pours out of the jug.
Big decision, maybe it’s complicated, maybe it’s really important to you. A lot more mental stamina comes out of the jug.
And then as you’re getting to the bottom of your jug with only a little bit of mental stamina left, you’re far more likely to make impulsive decisions or avoid risk and stick with something you know, rather than trying something new. Or you might even avoid all decisions altogether.
This is a real issue.
It’s been shown in several studies that if you’re a prisoner going up for parole, you are far more likely to be let out if your case is heard in the morning or straight after lunch than at any other time of day because the people making those decisions are better rested and more likely to be able to weigh up your case properly and take the risk of letting you out.
There are various ways that we can combat decision fatigue by being smarter and more efficient with our time, energy and stamina.
Let me introduce you to the Pomodoro Technique — the magical way of getting more done by doing less.
This is how it works:
- First choose a task that you want to get done.
- Next set a timer for 25 minutes.
- Then work on that task until the timer rings.
- And then finally — You take a short break.
It’s very simple, but let’s go through it again in a little bit more detail.
1. You choose the task that you’d like to get done. This could be a massive task. It can be a tiny task. It can be a task to split down the massive task into smaller tasks. Pick one task and dedicate yourself to it. Commit to it.
2. You set a timer for 25 minutes. This is your “pomodoro” and is named for a tomato shaped kitchen timer, though you can just use a phone timer or any other timer you have handy. I made my own unicorn shaped timer in WPF which I find great for interrupting my screen but all you really need is something that alerts you when your 25 minutes is up.
3. Work on that task and nothing but that task that you have committed to until the timer rings. If something else flies into your head, “Oh, I need to do that”, write it down on a piece of paper, put it to one side and deal with that once you’re done with your one task that you’ve committed to. Don’t check your emails, if an email comes in just leave it there. Work on your one task.
4. Take a short break — five minutes. Get up, get away from your screen, go stand outside and look up at the beautiful grey clouds or wander into the kitchen and get yourself a drink. Don’t check your emails. This is the most important part of the process, you want to take a proper break because this is what fills up your mental stamina jug and makes you more effective in your next pomodoro.
Using the Pomodoro Technique we can reduce the impact of decision fatigue, which leads to making better decisions. Another benefit of using the Pomodoro Technique is that you can better realise how long something is taking and stop time running away — the amount of times you get to the end of your 25 minutes and go “woah 25 minutes gone already, I barely started” is incredible!
At the UK Hydrographic Office, several of our software delivery teams use the Pomodoro Technique as a way to manage intensive activity such as mob or pair programming. Since being introduced to this technique some years ago at the UK Hydrographic Office, I now use it for everything from work to household chores. As a result I’ve become far more productive and better able to manage my workload.
Give it a go and see what you think! Thanks for reading.
