An unlikely productivity coach gets results

 Paul Bloom, a psychologist whose writing I admire, is interested in how people work. He’s always interested in tips on productivity. 

Bloom says he tries to write for at least an hour each morning. Later, he’ll take on other projects that he’s less enthusiastic about — in six-minute increments. He sets an alarm.

If you have only six minutes, you tend not to be overwhelmed and you tend not to procrastinate. Bloom works on several projects, shifting from one to the other as the alarm sounds.

Would the constant interruptions drive you crazy?

Stopping work when things are going well is the best time to stop, Bloom says. You put the project down with the expectation that something good is going to happen when you pick it up again.

It’s a version of the Pomodoro Technique. I’m curious enough to give it a try. 

But I’ve come across a technique that might be even better — at least for me.

An old cat named Lucas, rescued from the pound ages ago, wakes up every morning at 6 o’clock ready for breakfast. 

Cats know nothing of Daylight Saving Time, and so I have not been able to convince Lucas that it’s 5 a.m., rather than 6.

I’ve been sleepy for a week. But imagine having another hour before the house wakes up and the chores call — time to enjoy the quiet and think.