NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING

Super Simple F*R*EE Productivity Tool: Online Mindfulness Timer Enhances Time Awareness

The ultimate in easy, small changes for Quantum Productivity Breakthroughs  A client shared this with me and I love it!  Thank you Susan! : ) 

If you tend to lose track of time like I do, timers are an aswesome strategy.  But you have to remember to set them.  With this tool...you just set up the interval and it goes off regularly for as long you want! Plus you can set up more than one interval and more than one sound.  

It's called a "mindfulness bell'.  The timer is really meant to chime to stop and take deep breaths, but you can set it to chime every 15 minutes or hour or whatever.

It works on your computer so

• There is nothing you have to do or buy. 
• No equipment taking up your desk space.  
• Just set up a book mark on your Quick Links bar  and CLICK.  
• If you have a laptop, it travels with you!  No need to remember to pack a timer. 

This is a clip of a portion of the screen.  Could it be any simpler?  : ) 

 

I'm in love with this as a supplement to the 8+ timers I have all over my home : )  It helps me be more mindful of the time that is passing while I am on the computer or on the phone.  Hope it is useful to you, too.

http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/bell/index.html  

 

There is a similar bell at:  

http://www.fungie.info/bell

 

Got a tool that is this super simple?  Please do share it with me!  If I love it, I'll post it here, and if you have a website or blog, I'll post it with a link back to you.  : ) 

 

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"Enhancing your ability to make a difference in the world starts with enhancing your relationship with yourself."

- Me : ) 

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The Power of Thinking Small: What could you do with just 2 minutes to make a difference in your productivity?

The power of Quantum Productivity is all about the smallest thing you could do to turn "drains into gains." So let's start with the idea of 2 minutes.  Two minutes is a lot longer than most people realize...and it's much easier to wrap your brain around in every way.

For me, thinking small is my secret power weapon for outsmarting procrastination.  I use it every day to help me get started doing all kinds of stuff I tend to procrastinate about.

For example: If I'm resisting taking a walk, or making breakfast, or answering email, or whatever.  I say things to myself like:

 

"okay...try it for 1 or 2 minutes - then you can stop if you can't really get into it."  

 

P.S.   For me, it's really important to include the permission to stop part.  

Once the pressure is off, I truly don't mind doing things as much. It's like my resistance just melts.  Kinda like when a guy takes you out on a date and stops pressuring you for the kiss, right?  Once the pressure is off, you get more in the mood.  hmmm...think about that.   : )

I may be a freak, but it really works for me and for most people who like me tend to put too much pressure on ourselves and then shut down.  : ) 

With the pressure off, I usually do more than I intended and then feel better about myself in many ways.  Doing MORE instead of less than I intended to actually gets me more energized, feeling more optimistic, and then I'm ready to tackle even more challenging tasks.  

So yes.  I'm going to stand up to all those people who tell you to do the challenging stuff first and offer another way to look at things.  I'm not saying they are wrong, but it's only one possible strategy.  It may work for them, but it never works for me.  So there.  I'm sticking to doing the easy, small stuff first and giving myself permission to do just a little.  : )  

I've had personal trainers tell me it's not good enough to walk for just two- five minutes a day.  I just ignore them, honestly.  Cuz, at least by doing 5 minutes a day, I

• got in the habit of really liking to go for walks. 
• AND I also feel more energetic 
• AND I can walk a LOT faster now 
• AND I can  go further in that 5 minutes than I ever used to.  

To me...that's plenty good enough for me to feel good about myself and I'm NOT gonna let them or anyone else minimize what an accomplishment and personal victory it was for me to even do those 5 minutes!    

Here are some other things you can do with the power of thinking small...or with just 2 minutes.

• Pay just 2 of the bills in that growing pile.   
• File 5 - 10 papers or more?  How many can you file in 2 minutes?  Hmmm..I dare you to find out!
• Clean out just one section of your wallet
• Clean only the toilet instead of the whole bathroom - could you do it less than 2 minutes?  
• Answer just 5 emails - or take just 2 minutes to answer as many emails as you can. 

 

BONUS TIP: Set up a timer to notice how long it really takes to answer each email. Start noticing what kinds of emails tend to take longer...what the pattern?  How could you create a "template" that would help you speed up your responses to those types of email?   

What could you do today with just 2 minutes to change course and make a difference - in not only your productivity - but in how you feel about yourself and your "little dones"?