This little tool or tip has helped me to stay centered and focused at work and increased my productivity and satisfaction at the end of the day. I use it in front of the computer but with a few changes it can be used anywhere.
I found that while working in front of the computer I could be easily distracted from the task at hand, sometimes leading to a lack of focus and deadly procrastination.
There are ways to avoid those ends and the best manner to be aware of the problem and find solutions it to be, umm… aware of the problem. This of course requires focus, so I set about something that could work in a similar manner to how one uses their breath as a center when meditating.
The solution! A simple countdown timer
Okay, bear with me if this sounds lame; it works (boy I can really sell an idea, no?)
I installed an extension for Firefox called easyEggTimer. At the start of the day I open it with Alt-e and then Alt-e, set a time, say 15 minutes, and the timer pops up 15 minutes later.
Big deal?
I know it sounds simple, but the idea is that when the timer goes off, you can evaluate where you are, what you are doing and if you are lost in the unconscious wave of the stuff that a day in the office can bring along.
It is a simple pop up that forces you to stop, look around and get back on track if you find you are somewhere else.
I set it for 15 minute intervals and go with that unless I notice that I’m having a particularly un-centered day in which case I drop the reminders down to as little as 5 minutes until I get back on track. Other then turning off my bookmarks toolbar in Firefox, this has been the most productive change I have made on my computer in the last 6 months.
