This blog post is number 8 in the Recruitment Hacking series. You can see all of them under the Recruitment Hacking category and to get the entire series and more download the Cornerstone Recruitment Hacking Handbook
Who isn't busy these days with constant distractions from people and technology. But don't think for one second multi-tasking is the way to go because it's not.
The cognitive losses from multitasking are equivalent to smoking pot.
Glenn Wilson, Psychologist
So if we are to believe Glenn Wilson but more importantly want to be more productive what should a Recruitment Hacker do?
The Pomodoro Technique
This is a very simple but effective way to improve your work habits and productivity, revolving around the use of the Pomodoro 25 minute timer. I would advise you read the official Pomodoro book first and then decide what works for you. I mainly use the tomato timer and with that ticking away for 25 minutes I can stay focused and ignore most distractions. I also have the App on my phone and watch as well and there are many other very good technical variations of the same. But my advice is to start off with the "real" tick-tocking Pomodoro.
My summary of the theory is that you look at your work list for the day, plan how many Pomodoros (25 min sessions) you need plus breaks (as per the technique) and then away you go. It helps to switch off email, social, mobile and any other potential distractions but this does of course depend on where you work and how realistic it is for you to ignore obvious distractions such as your colleagues, your boss, your office cat and no doubt much more.
RescueTime
As much as you might like to think you have been Mr or Mrs Productivity, Rescuetime tells you the truth. I use this on my PC, laptop and mobile. It’s a great tool though and particularly helpful if you know you are easily distracted and wonder where the days disappear to. Rescuetime may just be able to tell you!
For example, you can set an alarm when you go over a certain amount of time on Facebook or even block access at certain times in the day. Carrot or stick, you have the choice to make it work in a way that suits you. It may or may not save me time but it keeps me focused.
To find out more about time management and how delegation can help you even more download the Recruitment Hacking eBook.
Recruitment Hacking