this Chrome extension will make you more productive
"Don't you work anymore?" she yelled across the parking lot.
It was around 1PM on a Tuesday...
Or a Monday...
Actually, let's just call it a weekday.
And it was the second time in the past few days that my neighbor had seen me outside reading.
(In my defense, one of those times WAS on the weekend.)
"Nope! Not anymore!" I yelled back.
She laughed and went inside, and I kept reading.
I knew she was joking, but some people might have been offended by the suggestion that they're not working hard.
... I was flattered.
Over the past few years, I've realized that being productive isn't about spending countless hours chained to your computer.
It's about actually getting shit done when you're in front of it.
Whether that takes 30 minutes or 3 hours is irrelevant.
What's the point of running your own business if you don't control your own schedule?
Most days, my schedule isn't that different from someone who works a "normal" 9 - 5 job.
But I think one of the big differences is that I work in short, hyper-focused blocks.
This is something I learned from Ian Stanley last year.
In his Money Morning Challenge course, he mentions that, when he is working, he is "indistractible."
Now I'm the same way.
I use a Pomodoro timer and set it for either 25 or 50 minutes.
Notifications on my computer are turned off. My phone is facedown. And my headphones are turned up.
After the 25 - 50 minutes is up, I take a 5 - 10 minute break, then repeat.
After about 2 hours, I'll take a longer break -- around 20 or 30 minutes. Then I'll get back to work for another hour or two.
Generally, I do one 3 - 4 hour session in the morning, and then another 2 - 3 hour session in the afternoon.
This isn't a groundbreaking concept, and I'm not the first to talk about it. But I think it makes work less stressful and more productive.
So if you want to get more done this week, give it a try and let me know how it goes.
Here's the Chrome extension I use.
Robert