096 Why These Famous Time-Management Techniques Are Ruining Your Productivity

Most creative people will take your head off if you butt in while they are flowing. Man. That’s for good reason.

But that’s exactly what the Pomodoro technique does, a popular time management trick designed to boost your productivity.

The concept is simple: set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and work until it rings. Then take a short break.

Eugene Schwartz swore by a similar method. He gunned for 33.33 minutes (not sure how he managed the .33 part given he wasn’t using a digital clock — I guess he eyeballed it).

During those 33 plus minutes he could do anything he wanted: stare out the window, drink coffee, drool on his wrist, or write the ad.

The hitch? He couldn’t leave his seat for nothing.

The hope was he’d get so bored he’d just write. And soon enough that’s what would happen.

And now, fortunately, this burst of focus time is getting longer. And that’s a good thing.

In this 5-minute episode you’ll discover:

  • The rule of 52 and 17 (it’s random, but supposed to up your productivity)
  • How resumption lag ruins productivity
  • Why it’s important to find a rhythm that fits your disposition
  • And more!

The Show Notes

Why These Famous Time-Management Techniques Are Ruining Your Productivity

Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com.

Demian Farnworth: Howdy, and you are listening to Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I am Demian Farnworth. Your host, your muse, your digital recluse, and the Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.

And thank you for sharing the next few minutes of your life with me.

Maybe it’s a control issue. I do not like the thought of being told to stop writing. I do not like being interrupted. Especially by a machine. And I’m not alone in this.

Most creative people will take your head off if you butt in while they are flowing. Man.

But that’s exactly what the Pomodoro Technique does, a time management trick designed to boost your productivity.

The concept is simple: set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and work until it rings. Then take a short break.

Eugene Schwartz swore by a similar method. He gunned for 33.33 minutes (not sure how he managed the .33 part given he wasn’t using a digital clock — I guess he eyeballed it).

During those 33 plus minutes he could do anything he wanted: stare out the window, drink coffee, drool on his wrist, or write the ad.

The hitch? He couldn’t leave his seat for nothing.

The hope was he’d get so bored he’d just write. And soon enough that’s what would happen.

This burst of focus time is getting longer.

The Rule of 52 and 17 (It’s Random, but Supposed to Up Your Productivity)

Julia Gifford and her crew studied the habits of the most effective people and spotted what they thought was the productivity sweet spot: fifty-two minutes on, and seventeen minutes off.

The headline says it all: “The Rule of 52 and 17: It’s Random But It Ups Your Productivity.” The article, however, focuses less on the 52 and more on the 17. It’s the breaks she emphasizes that make us more productive.

I’m down with that.

And the fifty-two minutes sounds more like my style, but still, don’t interrupt me. Let me keep pushing and pushing until the end of that article. It could be my first draft or my thirtieth revision.

Sometimes it’s a straight four-and-a-half hours on, and an hour off. Yes, sans bathroom break.

How Resumption Lag Ruins Productivity

Why? Resumption lag: “the time that is needed to collect one’s thoughts and restart a task once the interruption is over,” as studied by Erik M. Altmann from the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University and J. Gregory Trafton with the Naval Research Laboratory.

And if it takes roughly sixteen minutes to resume work, then under the Pomodoro regime you’ve only got nine minutes of focused time. Under the Schwartz scheme you have a little longer, say seventeen minutes. And much longer if you follow the average from Gifford’s study.

Why It’s Important to Find a Rhythm that Fits Your Disposition

The point of this post is two-fold, though. One, find a rhythm that fits your disposition. And two, focus for long periods of time. See if you’re not a more efficient writer in the end.

Until next time. Take care.