I think I used up all my focus.
I’m supposed to be editing my manuscript at the moment. I have a wonderful group of fellow writers with whom I meet on weeknights in a Zoom room. We chat for a while then shift to silent work. The accountability is great… except when it’s not.
It’s January 2 (more “new year, new you” nonsense), so naturally our conversation centered on the virtual goal-setting conference we attended earlier in the day. The majority of the group came away from that call feeling energized and enthusiastic.
I came away feeling hopeless.
ADHD doesn’t work with that level of directed attention. The conference coordinator spoke of “daisy chains,” where people manage a specific habit for days—months—years on end. She detailed things like successful habit-stacking techniques, daily structured routines, year-long goal-setting journals… as I listened, doodled, and pondered what I wanted for dinner.
And then. magic! The coordinator said, “Pomodoro!”
Yes! Spaghetti for dinner sounded wonderful!
“Set a timer,” she said.
Yes, I knew that. My pasta takes eight minutes to cook.
“For twenty minutes,” she continued.
I frowned. That would be mushy pasta.
“You’re going to engage in the work you need to do for twenty minutes. And at the end of the time, you’re going to get up and stop. Get a stretch, get a glass of water, check your email… But you must work for twenty minutes, and you must stop at twenty minutes. Then do another twenty-minute work session.”
What did this have to do with dinner?
She went on, “This is called the Pomodoro Method, and it’s highly successful in helping people to accomplish their goals…”
Huh. Twenty minutes… I can focus for twenty minutes, more or less. At least, I can manage twenty minutes better than the two-years-and–two-days stretch of a habit that one of the group members has amassed.
I quickly googled this Pomodoro Method.
That’s a fib. I googled Pomodoro and spent a bit of time comparing recipes for sauce. Then I googled why it’s called Pomodoro sauce (it comes from the Italian word for tomato) the difference between marinara and Pomodoro (Pomodoro is thicker), why it’s called marinara (it was popular with Italian seafarers)… You get the idea.
Eventually I remembered what I was up to and googled the Pomodoro Method. And it turns out, it’s surprisingly simple. The ideal technique goes like this:
- Define the task you need to accomplish.
- Set a timer for up to twenty-five minutes.
- Engage in the task for that time.
- When the timer dings, make a check mark on a piece of paper.
- Get up and move around for a few minutes. (If you’re like me, you’ll want to set a timer for five minutes to remind you to return to the task.)
- If you have fewer than four check marks, return to Step 2 and repeat.
Sadly, not one of those mentions my beloved spaghetti. But it’s a technique that sounds absolutely reasonable for those of us who have ADHD, because it promises the hope of accomplishing our goals in a way that doesn’t require endless focus.
My writing group has gone quiet now; they’re all incredibly focused on their writing. Me… my phone just dinged, so I’m heading off to grab a cup of tea.
And yes, I had spaghetti with pomodoro sauce and vegetarian meatballs for dinner. Buon appetito!