The End-All Productivity/Meditation Technique

My name is Jordan Lejuwaan and I am an efficiency addict.

I am zero days sober thanks to a recent discovery, and you can be too.

I love what I do so sometimes I’ll work 4-5 hours straight without stopping. As with anything, the law of diminishing returns applies after about 30 minutes. I gradually slow down and become less enthusiastic, creative and focused with the work at-hand.

Epiphany #1

Then I remembered reading about the Pomodoro Technique, which mandates taking 5 minute breaks for every 25 minutes of work. Each cycle is referred to as a single Pomodoro. The perks are:

• Desire to Work
  You’ll find that those 25 minutes roll by way too fast. It sounds crazy but when the timer goes off, you’ll want to keep working. But don’t! Hold in that desire for added gusto in your next Pomodoro.
• Consistent Zeal
  Those 5 minute breaks do wonders for keeping your head in the game. Consider running for 4 hours straight vs. taking a water break every 25 minutes. In my experience, it feels like I have even more energy with each successive Pomodoro.
• No Multi-Tasking
  Fact: multi-tasking is inefficient. It’s much easier to focus on one thing for a set 25 minutes period than for an inordinate amount of time. If you’re working on a computer, it’s optimal to shut down all other applications besides those required.

**Note: Hold on, I have to take a 5 minute break… Okay I’m back and feeling great :)

Epiphany #2

This may seem obvious at first, but it’s brilliant in its simplicity.

5 minutes is a perfect amount of time for a quick meditation!

Even after 3 years of fairly consistent meditation, I’m not always in the mood for a 20-30 minute session. But 5 minutes? I’ll do that all day. In fact, I do — every 25 minutes.

Once more, the perks:

• Constant Meditation: The ultimate goal of meditation is to continually stay present, even after leaving the lotus position. This is excellent practice as you’re training yourself to perpetually return to that state throughout the day.
• (Potentially) Better Meditations
  Depending on what kind of meditator you are, 5 minute sessions could be even more powerful than longer sessions. For example, I practice several types of meditation (breath-focused, loving and goal visualization) and now I focus on one kind per 5 minutes, which feels better. Overall 5 minute periods resonate better with me because they feel more like something I want to do rather than a twice-daily homework assignment.
• More Chances to Succeed
  If you only meditate in the morning and you have a crappy session, you’re out of luck until tomorrow morning. With Pomodoro meditations, you have countless chances to get it right and feel fantastic.

I have to take off for another 5 minutes so let’s end it here. Try it out for yourself and share your experience in the comments!

If you don’t have a timer at home or on your phone, check out: focusboosterapp.com