The mini-pomodoro tidying technique

[andrewducker]

Neither Julie nor I are the tidiest people when we're stressed*. As she's doing a PhD and I'm living with a PhD student this means that the flat gets pretty much bugger all attention. When we do have some time free from stress/keeping ourselves alive the last thing we want to do is housework - we both need to do something _fun_ so that we're not just suicidally depressed. As we're both much happier when we're in tidy places the lack of a method of making our surroundings nice is a problem.

I've been meaning to try out the Pomodoro Technique for something for a while. It's very simple, and it seems like a good way to break a block on being able to start things. 25 minutes seemed a bit long for something like this though, and I figured that actually we could make massive changes in 10 minutes if we focussed - and that 10 minutes is about as long as either of us can focus on tidying up without getting distracted. We work both best with a bit of pressure - and the mixture of knowing that the boring chore will be over in ten minutes, combined with knowing that I had to get the chore done within a ten minute period seems perfect to get me moving.

So we just tried it - ten minutes in three rooms, with five minute gaps in-between. And indeed, it's amazing how much tidier a room gets in ten minutes of focussed tidying**. This is definitely something to work on turning into a habit.

*I know certain people are horselaughing right now, but seriously, last time Julie went away for four days the flat got a lot tidier, because I was suddenly left with less distractions, and seem to have developed tidier habits for no particularly good reason.
**It basically goes from "WE CANNOT LET ANYONE ELSE SEE IT LIKE THIS

Comments

[foxfirefey]

There's a bitesizedcleaning comm that pretty much centers around doing just that--a wee bit of time to do as much tidying as possible.

[andrewducker]

Cheers for the rec!

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

The two of us will block out an hour, play beats from the east, and tidy like meth addicts. (our place has 4 beds and 2 baths though, so takes some time)

http://soundcloud.com/beatsfromtheeast/

The roomba is the best. He's like a third person.

[andlosers.livejournal.com]

I've become such a Pomodoro convert. It's made me more productive at work, but using it for non-work things has been a revelation. Love it!

[fjm.livejournal.com]

I use the pomodoro technique (didn't know it had a name) for writing tho I tend to be quantity oriented: 500 words then a break. Amazing how many 500 words you can build up in a relatively short time,

Re tidying: decide whether you are a "before the new task" or "after the new task" person. I found E easier to live with when I realised that he is an "after the task" tidier who thinks of it as clearing away. I prefer to tidy before the task because it's about sorting things into place.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of the technique, though I'd have to call it something else, lest I have to go make some tomato-based dish.