Use A Timer To Increase Productivity A timer is a great tool to improve productivity because it allows you to concentrate long enough to complete challenging tasks. I've been touting this method since I was a child. I learned this from my mother. It is simple to set the timer for a time limit for the amount of time you'll need to be focused on a project and then begin to work. When the timer is counting down, you should not be checking your email or surfing the web. The conversation with colleagues isn't allowed. Only focus on the task at hand. It turns out there's an official name for this concept and it's known as The Pomodoro Technique. The idea was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s, it's called Pomodoro because it requires a kitchen timer which looks like the shape of a tomato. Pomodoro is tomato in Italian which, I'll agree, sounds more intriguing than The Tomato Technique. Whether you demand a useful reference about timer, navigate to this website. The POMODORO TECHNIQUE The principle behind this technique is to split work into 25-minute chunks. This is known as Pomodoros. It cannot be interrupted. It is possible to set the timer to make it focus like the laser beam. The "no interruptions" part of this method is my favorite. You can make your "pomodoro" shorter or more than 25 mins. You can do what you want. A myriad of tasks at work are benefited by this kind of focus that is continuous. Writing reports and responding to emails (in batches but not throughout the day) and analyzing complex documents, making sales calls, etc. Every task that can benefit from a solid concentration that you don't accomplish. Unpleasant tasks or ones that you put off could be good reasons to apply this method. TIME FOR FOCUS BREAKS You can also utilize a online timer to remind yourself to break. Pause for a few minutes between each segment of focus to rise, get up of your chair , and review your To Do List. Grab a cup of water and top it off with a coffee, stretch or take a break. During this time, don't overwork your brain. It is a good idea to rest longer every few hours. 5- 10 minutes, perhaps. It is important to regularly take short, frequent breaks in order to be at your best. Use a Kitchen TIMER or PHONE TIMER? For greater productivity, a real kitchen timer is better than using an app on your smartphone. In the short period of time to find the app, you will be distracted by another app. It's incredible how quickly our focus can change once the device is in our hand. This can reduce the efficiency of your work instead of increasing it. It also helps when your timer makes a ticking sound. So long as it's ticking, you'll know it's counting down. You may be tempted to check the digital timer once in a while to make sure it's functioning. You could lose your concentration, even though it's an extremely small chance.