Especially at home, it is often difficult to concentrate and not constantly look at your cell phone or go to the fridge. On the Digital Detox page, we give you lots of helpful suggestions to help you reduce your smartphone consumption. Read on to find out what else you can do to avoid procrastination and what tomatoes and salami have to do with it.
To start with, it's helpful to get an overview of all the tasks you have to do. The Eisenhower principle can help you with your time management by dividing your tasks into four different sections. To do this, assign each of your noted tasks to one of the following groups:
- important and urgent
- important, but not urgent
- not important, but urgent
- neither important nor urgent
First, focus on the tasks that are both important and urgent. For important tasks that are not particularly urgent, it is best to set yourself a deadline by which you would like to complete them. Tasks that are urgent but not particularly important can possibly be passed on to others. Tasks that are neither important nor urgent can be neglected and no longer need your attention. This principle helps you to structure your tasks and differentiate between relevant and less relevant tasks.
There are also some methods that can help you to concentrate on your work without getting distracted every few minutes.
One example is the Pomodoro technique: with this method, you specifically select a task that you want to complete and write down the steps required to do so. Then off you go:
- Set a timer of 25 minutes in which you work with concentration.
- Check off what you have completed.
- Then take a 5-minute break, during which you can do anything you want - just don't continue working.
- After 4 x 25-minute concentration phases: take a longer break of around 15 to 30 minutes.
The name of the method comes from the fact that its inventor, Francesco Cirillo, used a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato for his time intervals.
Another tactic is the salami tactic. This involves dividing your projects and tasks into small subtasks in the same way that you cut a salami sausage into thin slices to enjoy it. You then work on one small subtask at a time and allow yourself a short break after each task.
