Pomodoro in exceptional times

The ‘Pomodoro Technique’ is popular amongst productivity fans.

You set a timer, usually for 25 minutes, and get to work. Then you take a break. Repeat until you’re done. (Or until it’s time for lunch, bed, Netflix, etc.).

These aren’t normal times, and I’m not here to preach about productivity (now, or ever really). I wanted to share what we’ve done today that seemed to work well.

Set a timer (for us it’s an hour at a time), and go find something to do.

A day, in one place, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, can be a bit overwhelming. An hour is much easier to work with.

My three kids take it in turns to have the playroom to themselves. They can choose Xbox, TV, iPad, etc. They get an hour to chill. The other two can choose to play outside together, do some school work (not proving too popular just now!), work on a puzzle, etc.

We repeat three times each morning, and another three times in the afternoon. The day is much easier to manage in one hour chunks. Everyone gets their share of personal space/downtime, everyone gets to play and be outside, and I retain some form of sanity (for now!).