 For Authors: March 20, 2024 Issue [#12434] |
This week: Pomodoro versus Flowtime Edited by: Annette  
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| “May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke |
| ASIN: 0910355479 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.99
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Pomodoro versus Flowtime
In the world of productivity, there is one little tomato that stands out as a super star. The Pomodoro Technique. The way it works, is that you find a pull up timer in the shape of a tomato.  You set it to 25 minutes, and for the 25 minutes of ticking time, you write like you mean it. When the little tomato reaches the end of the 25 minutes with a ping, you take a 5 minute break. I will be honest, when I tried it, I couldn't find a tomato shaped timer. Mine is a little chick. Even if your timer is neither tomato nor chick, you'll call it Pomodoro when you use this technique.
Flowtime is similar to Pomodoro, but not the same. In Flowtime, the overall goal is to get you to stay in the productive zone until the end of the predetermined amount of time before you take a break. During Flowtime, you work on a specific task. You don't check text messages. You don't check your email. You even *shudder* don't browse the Writing.Com Newsfeed. (I am not sure if I can commit to that, but I can try.) Instead of the prescribed 25 minutes in Pomodoro, Flowtime lets you choose the amounts of time.
Since Flowtime doesn't have a one-size-must-fit-you setting like Pomodoro, you have to find out what amount of time on and time off works best for you. To make the most out of Flowtime, give yourself a week to set it up. Every day, track how long you can work on writing without letting anything else distract you. Create a spreadsheet or some type of document to write down your productive time.
Make sure to note after how many minutes of concentrated working you start getting fidgety or distracted. Take a break at that moment. Track the amount of time it takes you until you feel that you want to get back into your writing project. Repeat these time tracking sessions until one short story, one chapter, or one poem is finished.
Do it all over with the next writing project.
After a few such writing projects where you measure your best amounts of time to concentrate and how long your breaks have to be, you have figured out your flowtime. Now, you can use those times to program your tomato, chick, or other timer to keep you in the writing zone without burning out.
Are you Team Pomodoro or Team Flowtime? |
| |  | Small Moments (13+)
People are born with a timer counting down to their death. A woman meets with a counselor.
#2104788 by JW Fiction  |
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2314485 by Not Available. |
| | | Pushing Time (E)
We always think we have enough time, for whatever we need to fix. Don't let time slip.
#2314700 by jayesandz |
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| ASIN: 0997970618 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 14.99
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Replies to my last For Authors Newsletter "Consistency Gets You There" that asked What have you been able to keep up with consistently? Maybe not every single day, but frequently and over a long time.
Santeven Quokklaus  wrote: I write every day. Minimum of 250 words. Story, blog, review or a column for Weekend Notes, every day, at least 250 words.
The last day I missed was around 15 years ago when I was too ill to do anything except throw up. And before that it was when my son was born, 19 years ago. Even when my daughter was born, I wrote on that day.
250 words per day is a great achievement. I hope on the day of your daughter's birth, you wrote about her.
Grinchy Potato wrote: This is an excellent reminder. I saw this in my inbox just in time. It reminded me that no matter how awful my writing might be (or I think it is), I need to keep writing regularly. It's the only way to improve.
Writing regularly, like pursuing anything regularly will make you better. Also, don't worry about the quality of your writing too much. Some of the most famous, published authors cringe at their own writing. It's just part of the life of an artist to be one's own worst critic. |
| ASIN: 0910355479 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 13.99
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