Gamifying Productivity and Avoiding Burnout for Asynchronous Workers
Subdividing productivity when engaging in asynchronous work isn't as simple as working from 9-5 for some.
The Goods vs. The Clock
Much of modern work—especially for workers of the salaried, remote, and asynchronous nature—has become simply about results. I can imagine why this can make managers nervous, as it requires the workers to sharpen their self-management skills to ensure that the goods are delivered on time.
I’ve found myself on both sides of this issue.
Just a little bit of context: I work remotely, asynchronously, and on salary. This means that I can work where I want, when I want, and usually how I want. I consider myself immensely fortunate to be in this position. Spoiled even. I can start work at 6:30 am, then drop my son off at school at 7:30 am, go for an hour-long trail run at 8 am, and be home to hop back into work at 10 am. I can take lunch when I want and quit when I want.
Because time didn’t matter, a new issue arose sometime after settling into this work style — that being, I didn’t know when to stop. A fractured work day, while convenient, meant no official quitting time. I would look up and the clock would read 7, 7:30, or even 8 pm. My wife wouldn’t want to disturb me for dinner, believing I was up against a deadline when really I was just lost in work.
This all changed when I figured out how to quantify my efforts into what could be described as a points system.
Stealing From the Pomodoro Technique
This isn’t just another essay explaining how the Pomodoro Technique works—of which I’ve already written. No, this is more about how I’ve started using some of the elements of this technique to keep my work life in balance—immensely productive while not risking burnout.
Still, I feel that I need to briefly explain the Pomodoro Technique for a bit of context, so here's how it works for the unfamiliar:
Set a timer for 25 minutes and begin a session of hyper-focused work.
Once the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break—refilling coffee, checking email, using the restroom, yada yada.
After the 5-minute break is over, begin another hyper-focused 25-minute work session.
After you’ve completed four of these 25-minutes-on/5-minutes-off sessions, you can take a 15 minute break. That’s it. Rinse and repeat. But now, I use these 25-minutes-on/5-minutes-off differently.
Pomodoro Work Blocks
One could simply sit down and Pomodoro their entire day. The technique is virtually bulletproof in terms of productivity. Not only does this method crush procrastination when properly employed but it also breaks up daunting tasks into bite-sized pieces. Still, this isn’t as conducive for (A) someone who wants to or needs to fracture their work day (maybe to make time to take a child to school, for instance) or (B) wants to determine when they can stop working for the day independent of a predetermined quitting time.
My solution is pretty simple: Just set a predetermined number of Pomodoro-style work sessions you need to complete every work day. We will call these Pomodoro Work Blocks.
The secret sauce to the success of this technique is in the power and simplicity of the Pomodoro Work Block.
For the sake of this guide, the official definition of a Pomodoro Work Block is a 25-minute session in which you are only allowed to give your focus to the work-related task at hand followed by a 5-minute break—which is optional but recommended to avoid burnout or brain frag.
During the 25-minute work session, no distractions are allowed. No social media. No text messages. No YouTube. No news scrolling. Nothing other than the scheduled work task. If you want to check your email, actual email checking should be a scheduled work task and not just a habitual time-wasting behavior—as the majority of email check-ins happen to be.
Also, no multi-tasking. It cannot be considered a true Pomodoro Work Block if you’re attempting to consume any other content (ignorable background music being the possible exception) while executing a Pomodoro Work Block. While you may feel like you’re just as efficient at your job while listening to a podcast, a show, or a comedian, you’re just not. But guess what? You can get more finished during a Pomodoro Work Block when you turn off the distractions and thus, you can likely end your work day sooner—giving you more time to consume said content.
If you wish to use this technique, I would recommend using a Pomodoro Technique smartphone application. My favorite is called the Minimalist Pomodoro Timer by a developer called Goodtime Productivity—but many Pomodoro apps exist. When in use, I keep the count-down timer displayed throughout the session so I can see how much time I have left within a specific Pomodoro Work Block as well as how many Blocks I’ve completed that day.
How has this changed the way I look at my work? Almost more like a game than a job. Each 25-minute session equals one point. I need a certain number of points before I can safely quit for the day. As long as I get my points and all my deadlines are met, I’m productive, balanced, and free from burnout.