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Comment by arrel | Hacker News Reader

I'm fascinated by work methodologies, but they always remind me of the Atkins diet - something that probably works in the short term, so people rave about it, but breaks down over time. Even maniacs like Tim Ferris can't seem to stick with anything for the long run.

Has anyone been able to stick to a personal work technique like this for longer than a couple months?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect

I was pumped when I first started using the pomodoro technique, but after about two weeks I just stopped. I just couldn't stay in that groove.

Reading articles like this make me want to try and start again, though.

I have recently re-started the pomodoro technique. There is no doubt at all my productivity is higher with it than with no technique at all. But it's much like exercise, we know we should do it, but for whatever reason, it's hard to maintain it.

I've added a different twist though that so far I am liking. At the beginning of the day I decide how many pomodoros I am going to accomplish today. If I have no meetings or other responsibilities, it's typically 13-15 (25 minute pomodoros with 5 minute breaks). Then my work day isn't done until I've hit that number. It motivates me to get on them and get them done, rather than work late just because I'm being inefficient.

This may help people who have problems focusing for long periods of time but procrastination is a behavior problem, not a techniques problem.

I have a pet theory that 'working out the mind' is just like working out the body. You get use to whatever methodology/scheme you have setup and it looses effectiveness. The key is to rotate. Pick up a handful of work methodologies that work for you, and rotate through them every couple weeks. Just like how you should swap up your workouts, you swap up how you work.

Yeah, these kind of things can "trick" you into working, but eventually the part of your brain that procrastinates beats it. I'd like some genuine ways to beat procrastination long term, even if it takes a lot of time and dedication to achieve.

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