Hello everyone
I’ve been thinking a lot about productivity recently.
One difficulty with productivity is that it is often measured in terms of output. However, a more practical measure may be input.
Let me be a little less cryptic and explain. I’ll use the example of writing a novel, but a similar principle can be applied to any piece of work.
Writing a Novel
A typical novel is usually somewhere in the region of 80,000 to 100,000 words long.
Very often a novelist will set a daily word count, maybe 1,000 words. Perhaps 2,000. This is a measure of output
If a novelist sets themselves a daily word count target of 1,000 words and maintains that work rate for 90 days (give or take), then they will have completed a first draft of a novel.
Output
While 90 days to write a first draft might feel like a plausible work rate (and it is—many authors work at this rate and produce a first draft within three months), there is a difficulty with a target word count: in any one day, the author will keep working until they have reached the target word count.
The target word count could be reached in an hour, but it might take the author ten hours (or longer). In other words, the author does not have a measure of how much effort is necessary to create the work.
But there’s a bigger challenge here: the author does not have a specific action they can take to reach the target, or to improve on the target, other than to “work harder”.
Time
There’s another aspect to focusing on a word count target—words are infinite. But there’s a finite resource that is not being accounted for: time.
There are 24 hours in every day. Every hour spent on one activity is an hour not spent on another. If you read for three hours, those hours cannot be spent watching television.
So rather than aiming at a word count and hoping it is reached, a more practical approach to writing a novel may be to set a time.
So, for example, instead of writing until 1,000 words have been completed, an author might write for two hours, and then stop, irrespective of the word count.
The Pomodoro Technique
When thinking about time allocated to work, I find the Pomodoro Technique to be a better approach than simply allocating a set number of minutes or hours.
The Pomodoro Technique (as originally envisaged—there are variants) is straightforward:
- decide on a task to be completed (in this example, the task would be to write part of a novel)
- set a timer for 25 minutes
- work on the task until the timer sounds
- take a short break
- repeat
The Pomodoro Technique in Practice
When using the Pomodoro Technique in connection with writing a novel, an average word count per Pomodoro (in other words, per 25 minute session) can be deduced after a few Pomodoros have been completed. This average, then gives a very tangible action that an author can take if they are dissatisfied with the rate of progress of a novel.
So for example, if an author averages 900 words after two Pomodoros, that suggests a single Pomodoro will produce something in the region of 450 words.
If an author wants to write 1,500 words per day, that suggests that they must complete three or maybe four Pomodoros per day. And if the author then wants a yet higher word count, they must increase the number of Pomodoros accordingly.
Why Not a Time Target?
So, why use the Pomodoro Technique? Why not just allocate a block of time?
You can allocate a block of time. If that works for you, do it. However, the Pomodoro approach has some advantages.
- First, the Pomodoro Technique includes breaks which often makes a longer stretch of work more productive.
- By using Pomodoros, work can be scaled up and scaled down based on available time.
- Pomodoros bring focus. It’s easier to focus for twenty-five minutes than it is to focus for two hours. And it’s easier to focus for four Pomodoros of twenty-five minutes than it is for a single block of two hours.
The Pomodoro Technique is also simple.
There are other approaches. For instance there is the 52/17 Rule which is very similar to the Pomodoro Technique, but instead of twenty-five minute blocks with five minute rests, the 52/17 Rule expects 52 minutes of focused working followed by 17 minutes of rest.
Proponents suggest 52/17 is the optimum ratio for efficiency.
The 52/17 ratio doesn’t work for me, but it might be perfect for you.
And of course, do remember that any technique can improve efficiency, but these techniques should not be over-used if you want to avoid burnout.
Is The Pomodoro Technique Enough?
I often use the Pomodoro Technique when I’m writing a first draft of a novel. It helps—but on its own its not enough.
For me, before I start a Pomodoro, I need to know what I’m going to write. I don’t need anything too detailed, but I do need to have an idea about what is going to happen in the scene I am writing. Half a dozen bullet points is usually enough.
Clearly, this “thinking” work to prepare these bullet points is another time input in addition to the Pomodoro time and the rest period.
I should also point out that in the context of a novel, the Pomodoro Technique doesn’t guarantee quality. It just offers a structure to create the first draft.
Until November
If you’ve got a project and you’re looking for a new way to approach it, take a look at the Pomodoro Technique and see if it brings any benefits. Or maybe the 52/17 Rule is right for you.
I’ll be back in November.
Until then.
All the best
Simon