Getting through the working day without being sidetracked is an achievement in itself. I have tried a number of techniques to improve my productivity, often without success. In recent years I have adopted two methods which work, or more accurately, they work for me.

The Pomodoro technique is a time management system developed in the 1980s. Like all great ideas it is very simple. You simply divide your day into 25 minute sections. The full version is rather more complicated, but the important thing is that it doesn't need to be.

The full and overly complicated version.

The core process of the Pomodoro Technique consists of 6 steps:

1. Start your task
2. Set your timer for 25 minutes
3. Work on your task uninterrupted for those 25 minutes
4. When the pomodoro is complete mark out what you have done on a piece of paper
5. take a break
6. every 4 pomodoro take a longer break.

That's the short term behavioural pattern. In theory if you do this then over time you should able to add more to the method.

If you continually follow step 4 you will eventually get a record of how long individual tasks take. The whole idea of the 25 minute section is that you should be able to finish each one before returning phone calls, or dealing with emails, etc.. If you use your breaks to deal with these tasks then your workflow will be that much smoother.

In theory, the results of the Pomodoro sections should begin to give you an idea of how long future tasks will take. Once you are used to working with these blocks you might want to refine each period. Perhaps use the first five minutes to review the previous Pomodoro.

You can start to estimate just how many Pomodoro sessions are needed in any given day; when they should occur; and how much variation you can incorporate. Because the timetable is so well so well delineated and the individual sessions are so short, you should be able to get a better grasp of your productivity (or lack of it) each day.

So does the Pomodoro technique work?

In my case it did and it didn't.

I tried doing the pure version of Pomodoro as set out above. I found that some aspects worked for me whereas others did not. For example, I found that the 25 minute time slots were too short. When I switched to 40 minute sessions I found myself being a lot more productive.

I didn't bother marking down the results at the end of each session. Instead, I used a ten minute break to get off my desk, stretch, make a cup of coffee or just deal with my emails. Reviewing the work that I had just completed seemed pointless.

I did find that taking a longer break after 4 sessions also worked well. A half an hour in the late morning fits well with my working rhythms.

I did manage to reduce the number of interruptions by making sure that I continued to the end of each session before answering emails or making phone calls.

The system did allow me to create a more structured timetable based around the sessions. On those days that I followed the sessions I was extremely productive.

When all is said and done, parts of the technique have proved useful to me and I will continue to use it. However, I would not have been able to maintain it if I had to follow every step religiously. Whatever works is retained and the rest has been thrown away.

Planning with Post-it notes

The Pomodoro technique is all about getting through the day with a minimum of interruptions and maxing out your productivity. The Post-it note method is more about how to plan your day in the first place.

The other Post-it note method

When you mention the Post-it note method, people assume you mean brainstorming. They picture a wall covered with Post-it notes all containing a single idea which then are grouped together in an an attempt to find some kind of coherent work flow.

The other Post-it method

Write a to do list. However, don't write it on a piece of paper. Write it on a Post-it note. I know that it sounds ridiculous. A Post-it note is tiny. You can hardly fit anything on it, which is the point.

It will be a short to do list. More importantly it will be a manageable list. If there are too many items to fit on the note there is always tomorrow.

This method gives you a list which you should definitely be able to complete in a day. You avoid wasting time writing out a long list of tasks that sit there for days, leaving you demoralised and demotivated.

If you complete everything on the list then you stop. That's it. Your day is done. Go and enjoy yourself.

This may seem like a bizarre approach but it works. I don't often finish my Post-it notes early. Some times I don't finish my Post-it note at all and some of the things have to be held over until the following day.

However, what does happen is that I approach each day with a seemingly manageable set of task which I am always confident about getting through.

So those are my productivity techniques and they work for me. Maybe they would work for you too, but if they don't it doesn't matter, you just need to find whatever works for you.