The 45 15 Rule

THE 45/15 RULE

HOW I KEEP MYSELF ON TASK

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45/15 Rule

This rule is simply a way for you to divide up your time so that you can be efficient without getting bored and burnt-out.

Basically, in each hour, you do 45 minutes of work, and have 15 minutes of play.

The 15 minutes of play every hour give your mind a chance to relax, let go, and unfocus on the task at hand for a short time. This means that you avoid the concentration nose-dive that normally occurs when you focus on one task for a long period of time.

Of course – if you’re in a flow state, this won’t be necessary, because you lose track of time – but most of the work we do isn’t in flow, it’s the regular grind of making orders, answering e-mail, writing blog posts etc.

I use the free focus booster app to help me keep track of the time split.

The 45

During this time, you need to:
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• Make sure you’re in a proper ‘work’ location – preferably not in bed on your laptop (yes, I’m looking at myself here).
• Make sure you’re comfortable – you’ve got everything you need for the next 45 minutes. You have water/tea/snack, you’ve gone to the bathroom (yes, mum… I can hear you all chanting), you’ve got all the materials you need to get your work done.
• TURN OFF twitter, your phone, and even the internet if you don’t need it for what you’re doing. This makes it harder – and more of a conscious choice – if you get the urge to sneak back to technology.
• Make sure you’re not going to be distracted by your parents/spouse/kids/neighbours/cat. Let them know it’s ‘work’ time now.
• WORK!

The 15

During this time, you need to:

• Get up and have a stretch.
• Turn your distracting toy of choice back on, and do whatever you want to. Play a game, chat to friends on twitter or facebook, read a blog or two.
• Alternatively, go outside for a few minutes and enjoy the outside world.
• Read another chapter of your novel.
• RELAX and have fun!
• You should NOT being doing something work-related during this time. That includes checking e-mails. Dealing with e-mail should be one of your 45 minute periods for the day.

P.S. If you don’t have a clock right in front of you, set a timer – that way you won’t get distracted constantly looking at the clock to see if work or play time is up!

I use this method when I really need to ‘knuckle down’ and it is really successful for me!

So – how do you keep yourself on track without burning out? Share your fave tip in the comments.