The Power Zoning Out

Happy Sunday! I just came out of a super hectic week, and before I gear up for another homework-filled week, I figured I’d talk about something that I’ve been doing a lot of lately: zoning out.

When someone comments on my organization and productivity, I always let them know that a) I’m really just a hot mess who’s figured out how to control her messiness, most of the time, and b) I would be nothing without my many mini breaks throughout the day.

A lot of people ask me what that means. Mini breaks? You stop working a lot? Basically, yes! But it’s not that simple. A few things I make sure to do during my mini breaks is to really feel like I deserve it, have a clear intention for my break, and zone out.

A lot of people spend their days stressing about when they’re not being “productive.” A student might feel guilty about spending an hour doing something (cleaning, having dinner, talking to friends, you name it) besides studying. I lot of people think that working hard means working non-stop without taking breaks or doing much self care at all. If that works for people, then that’s completely fine, but it simply just does not work for me.

What I do is schedule almost every day, except for Sundays, and I break down every day into roughly half hour increments. For each half hour, I spend twenty-five minutes focusing on one task. No multi-tasking. Just one thing! And then, at the end of each twenty-five minutes, I take a break and zone out.

By zoning out, I mean completely removing myself from that task and letting my mind wonder. That usually means walking away from my desk, taking deep breaths, maybe refilling my water bottle, and giving myself the freedom that I think I deserve after focusing so hard on my task. These mini-breaks really help me to stay focused, relaxed, and positive. It feels like I’m getting many rewards throughout the day, when really all I’m doing is framing the way I think around my work so that I feel better about it.

When I say I have a clear intention for my break, I mean I think about what I could do during my break to make it feel as rewarding as possible. That could be anything, from checking in with an old friend to doing a few squats!

To keep myself on track, I usually use www.mytomatoes.com. This is a simple online Pomodoro technique tool that is free and easy to use!

My tomato page today! I usually don't "tomato" my time on the weekends. :-)

So, that’s basically my way to get stuff done! Good luck with all the busy things in your life, and let me know how you stay focused!