Yesterday, I posted about learning to deal with everyday chores — something that was the biggest stress in my life for years. However, I didn’t tell you how I keep things under control these days.

I use a timer.

I work from home. My system probably wouldn’t work half as well if I didn’t, but so far, it’s managed to keep me on track.

Because I spend all day in front of the computer, I’ve managed to kill two birds with one stone. Ergonomics experts say that you shouldn’t spend more than thirty minutes at your computer without getting up and stretching. Eye strain, back strain, wrist strain. All of them can be helped by just stepping away from the machine.

So, I set my timer for twenty-five minute increments. When it goes off, I set it for another five minutes and go do something to clean up the apartment. I start a load of laundry. I make the bed. You’d be surprised how much you can do in five-minute increments. With a little planning, I can even spread out starting dinner so that I have a hot meal ready to go when I finish working.

When the timer goes “ding” again, I get back to work. I’m always amazed at how much I can get done in such a short time. I’ve even gotten a little competitive with myself, trying to see how fast I can do certain tasks.

That competitiveness is paying off in my work, as well. I’m pushing myself to become more efficient — to complete more tasks in a twenty minute period (and therefore make a little more money). My timer, which is just a free piece of software running on my computer, is my best friend.

by Thursday Bram

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