Weekly Round Up of Opportunities & Important Dates
Upcoming Dates for your diary:
Registration for the next cohort of Startup School for Seniors is now open. Starting on 19th September and lasting for eight weeks, you can rejoin if you’re a previous learner and get back on track with your business or start a new one. :) If you have a friend or a colleague that would welcome our support, we are actively seeking more participants from OUTSIDE LONDON to fill up our quota. You can help by posting your experience of the programme on your Facebook page, if you have one.
Our next Power Hour session is on Saturday, October 6th. It's free to paid subscribers, and you can spend a dedicated hour working on whatever you’ve been putting off!
Book your next GWDC 1:2:1 session with Suzanne or Mark here.
Mark’s Office hours are on the 20th of September.
Suzanne’s Office hours are on the 17th
Mark has organised a quarterly Goal-Setting and Review session on Saturday, 28th September, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., to which GWDC members are invited.
This interactive session will help you stay on track and motivated. Whether you're a seasoned goal-setter or new to the process, this event is for you. Don't miss this opportunity to boost your productivity and achieve your dreams. Register now and get ready to crush your goals!
Remember that now is a great time to set New Year Resolutions that stick.
For some light relief, I will be appearing with my pianist George Webster at Crazy Coqs, Zedels, Soho, with my new show, The Dirty Blues: Hot Dogs & All, on Tuesday, 24th September, at 7 pm, with special guest clarinettist Lana-May Hodge. Tickets are only £20.
You can look forward to a riotous night of dirty songs, funny stories and a sing-a-long.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
There are many methods out there aimed at maximising our productivity and minimising the time we spend doing the stuff that won’t get us anywhere. Having spoken to several ‘productivity experts,’ I noticed that a few techniques come up more often in conversation than others, one of which is the Pomodoro Technique.
The ‘technique’ involves breaking down your work day into manageable chunks. The idea is that it’s easier to concentrate on one task for a short amount of time than to try to extend that concentration over many hours.
Some apps can help you do this for yourself, or you can set the timer on your phone.
Choose a task from your to-do list
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Work on the task until the timer rings
Mark the task off your to-do list
Take a short break of 3–5 minutes
Repeat until the task is finished
After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15–30 minutes
The 5 best Pomodoro timer apps
Pomodor for a simple web-based Pomodoro timer
Marinara Timer for a shareable web-based Pomodoro timer
Forest for a mobile Pomodoro timer
Session for Apple users
Toggl Track for combining Pomodoro with time-tracking
Of all the ones above, I have tried Toggl, which also enables you to add specific clients or tasks, which can help invoicing clients and being able to display work attached to each job.
Like everything else, I believe the Pomodoro or any other productivity method is a matter of practice. You may find it helpful if you can stick with it for a couple of weeks. For me, 25 minutes isn’t always enough time, especially when I’m writing and in the flow, so I prefer to try to finish tasks, no matter how long it takes.
I would say that if you’re struggling to focus and require some form of discipline, the Pomodoro Technique may be what you need.
I’d love to know if you’ve tried the Pomodoro Technique and if it works for you.
Until next time,
Suzanne