How to Save

(And get twice as much done)

LEARN HOW TO PAINLESSLY
GET 40 HOURS OF
WORK DONE IN JUST 16.7!

This simple system that will help you regain

control of your time... and your life.

CHRIS WINFIELD
CHRIS WINFIELD
Intro: We Only Get One Life... 4
Total Focus: Do You Have It? Do You Need It? 6
The Pomodoro Technique: An Overview 8
The Pomodoro Technique: The Details 9
Pomodoro Tracking Sheet (Example) 11
Pomodoro Tracking Sheet (Print-Out) 12
Why It Works: Support for the System 13
The Beauty of 8 Pomodoros Each Day 15
Getting Organized: Where to Start 17
Tips and Hacks 19
Tools & Apps 21
Maximizing your Workday: Check Your Energy 23
Energy Inventory Worksheet 25
Putting it all Together: Making It Work for YOU! 26
Its Go Time! 29

Legal Notice:

2015 Chris Winfield. All Rights Reserved.

By reading this e-book, you agree to the following terms and conditions.

Under no circumstances should this e-book be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way except when you
have received written permission.

As with any business, your results may vary and will be based on your background, dedication, desire,
and motivation. Any testimonials and examples used are exceptional results, which do not apply to the
average purchaser and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or
similar results. You may also experience unknown or unforeseeable risks which can reduce results. The
authors are not responsible for your actions.

The material contained in this report is strictly confidential.

CHRIS WINFIELD
A few years back, a nurse recorded the most common
regrets of people dying and put her findings into
a book called The Top Five Regrets of The Dying.
Guess what was the second biggest regret they had?

I wish I hadnt worked so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed.

They missed their childrens youth and their partners
companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but
as most were from an older generation, many of the
female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the
men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of
their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.1

So many of us fill our days with things that wont be

remembered in the long run. We wear the hours we
work as some sort of badge of honor. Yet ironically,
we always feel guilty when we wear that badge,
knowing that many times it came at the expense of
something more fulfilling.

CHRIS WINFIELD
There has to be a better way to live. One that will
allow us to be both productive AND fulfilled. The
good news isthere is! The even better news is that
you can start TODAY.

In this guide, youll learn step-by-step how to cut your

work-day by more than 50%. Today you can start to
spend more time with the people who matter most to
you, doing the things you love to do.

CHRIS WINFIELD
Do You Have It? Do You Need It?

Heres the thing, we often think we are more focused

on a task than we truly are.

Consider your level of focus on this guide right

now. Think youre completely focused on it? Take
a quick inventory... Do you have your email and
browser open? Have you glanced at your phone?
Have you gotten up to get a snack? Are you aware
of conversations happening around you? True and
complete focus in our world of every increasing
distractions is increasingly rare.

Often, you may be distracted without even realizing it,

giving into these distractions out of habit. Distractions
inhibit your ability to totally immerse yourself in a
subject, and reach a state of flow. When you reach a
state of flow, you are able to easily learn and discover
new things. You are more productive, and your work
truly reflects the best of your abilities.

CHRIS WINFIELD
The Pomodoro Technique is designed to help you take
back your focus, thereby better utilizing your mind.
This technique is useful for a wide variety of tasks:
writing, preparing presentations, drafting technical
reports, studying, managing events, and other major
projects. Ready to start achieving more in less time?
Lets get started!

This technique is useful for a wide

variety of tasks: writing, preparing
presentations, drafting technical
reports, studying, managing events,
and other major projects.

CHRIS WINFIELD
An Overview

Created by Francesco Cirillio, the Pomodoro

Technique2 is a deceptively simple to learn yet
extremely powerful time management system. There
are 4 basic principles behind the technique:

1. Work with time, not against it: Many of us live as if

time is our enemy, always racing against the clock. The
Pomodoro Technique teaches us to work with time,
instead of struggling against it.

2. Eliminate burnout: Taking short, scheduled breaks

while working eliminates the running on fumes
feeling you get when you push yourself too hard.

3. Manage distractions: The Pomodoro Technique helps

you log your distractions, and prioritize them for later.

4. Create a better work/life balance: Most of us

are far too intimately acquainted with the guilt that
comes from procrastination. As a Pomodoro Master,
you create an effective timetable and achieve your
high-priority tasks, so you truly enjoy your time off.

CHRIS WINFIELD
The Details

Heres what separates the Pomodoro Technique from

so many other time management strategies. Where
others generally leave it at those four fundamental
yet vague principles, the Pomodoro technique tell you
exactly what to do. Best part, its simple!

1. Choose a task: Select one task and one task only.

For many of you multi-taskers, this may feel like a step
backward in productivity. But after a while, youll find
you are much more efficient when you give all your
focus to one task.

2. Set a timer for 25 minutes: Yes, just 25 minutes.

Dont worry about whether or not the task can be
completed in that time. Just get as far as you can.

3. Work on your task until the timer rings. Then

put a checkmark on a tracker: Remember, thats 25
minutes of steady, focused work on ONE task. No
emails. No phone calls. No checking Facebook. No
distractions allowed!

CHRIS WINFIELD
4. Take a 5 minute break: You just completed your
first Pomodoro! Go ahead, update your Facebook
status. Send that email. Get up and stretch. Keep
break activities simple. Save your mental energy for
your Pomodoros.

Repeat steps 1-4 three more times, followed by a

15-minute break.

(On the next page, I will show you how this looks in
action and then give you your own sheet to work with.)

CHRIS WINFIELD
 (Example)
Date: 05/07/2015

Pomodoros available today: 8

Task: Number of Pomodoros:

Draft client action plan x x
Email campaign x
Write article draft xxx
eBook chapter xx
Blog post

Notes and reflections:

Action plan ready to be discussed- reach
out to client.
Check email campaign stats tomorrow.
Completed first draft of article,
proof tomorrow.
Plan in Action chapter complete
Did not get to blog post, put on high
priority tomorrow!

CHRIS WINFIELD
Date:
Pomodoros available today: ___
Task: Number of Pomodoros:

Notes and reflections:

CHRIS WINFIELD
Support for the System

You will probably begin to notice a difference in your

work within the first day (sometimes its almost an
immediate thing). True mastery of the technique takes
from seven to twenty days of constant use.

The Pomodoro Technique can also help you plow

through your to-do list faster because of the strict
timing. Knowing your time limit is drawing to a close
can help you wrap up your current task quicker.
Timing your projects makes you more accountable for
your tasks and also reduces procrastination.

Other points to consider:

Deadlines work. They keep you from

getting too distracted.
Short bursts of work have been found to
maximize attention and mental activity.
Knowing there is an end in sight also helps
keep procrastination at bay.

CHRIS WINFIELD
 Periodic resting enhances quality of your
work. It allows your brain to integrate and
get ready to move on to the next task.

One proponent of the Pomodoro Technique is Sue

Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal. Speaking
of the technique, she said, It eased my anxiety over
the passing of time and also made me more efficient;
refreshed by breaks, for example, I halved the total
time required to fact-check a column.

CHRIS WINFIELD
Heres the math broken down for you:

8 Pomodoros x 5 days per week = 40 per week

40 Pomodoros per week = 1,000 work minutes

1,000 work minutes = 16.7 hours

So why 8 Pomodoros per day? Why not just stuff

the day full of Pomodoros? First, it can be extremely
exhausting to exhibit that kind of focus all day long.

But more importantly, there is actually some benefit

to allowing the mind to wander. Open awareness
enables creativity, helps you imagine future scenarios,
and focus on self-reflection. It allows you to gain
insights that you might not otherwise realize if you are
constantly in a state of goal-oriented attention.

CHRIS WINFIELD
Most importantly, the whole purpose of utilizing
this technique is to help you achieve a better work/
life balance. Cramming your day with 20 Pomodoros
will certainly get things done (assuming all 20 are
true, highly focused Pomodoros) but it wont allow
you to have more time with family, focus on a passion
project, or pursue any leisure activities. In short, it
defeats the purpose of having those extra 23.3 hours.

As with any skill, gaining true focus takes practice.

Start small, with just 1 Pomodoro per day, and work
your way up. Like a muscle, the more you practice, the
stronger your focus will get.

CHRIS WINFIELD
Where to Start

A long to-do list may make you feel tempted to throw down
the pen, change into your sweats, grab a pint of ice cream,
and bag the whole thing.

Instead of thinking you need to do 100 things, think of

only having to do one thing: your Pomodoro. So how do you
prioritize and organize your Pomodoros? Heres one way:

Using a spreadsheet, create a table with the

following columns:

Future (place everything on your to-do list here)

Later This Week (place 25-40 things you plan to do
this week)
Today (pull 2-8 things you intend to do today from
the Later This Week column into this one.)
Doing Now (pull into this column the one thing-
your Pomodoro- that youre working on right now)
Delegated (this is especially useful if you have
team members or an assistant youve assigned
tasks to)
Done (when you pull a task here, you can pull a
new one from Today to Doing Now)

CHRIS WINFIELD
Organizing your list in this way will help you visualize
exactly where you are, where your team is, and where you
are going with your tasks.

I use a simple (free) online program called KanbanFlow to

accomplish this:
https://kanbanflow.com/

CHRIS WINFIELD
Although 16.7 hours of work per week sounds great,
if you are like most people, youll probably find theres
an adjustment period to the system. Here are some
tips and tricks to make that adjustment easier:

1. Use an actual timer. Dont waste your time and

lose your flow by glancing up at the clock every few
minutes.

2. Set your phone to airplane mode. This will help

eliminate the temptation we all have to check our
phones every few minutes.

CHRIS WINFIELD
3. Find a quiet place to work and/or use
headphones/earplugs. Be sure to let everyone who
many interrupt you (co-workers, assistants, family
members if you work at home, etc.) know that you are
not to be interrupted during this time.

4. Have a pen and paper nearby. This will help you

track your Pomodoros. Bonus: Pomodoro tracking
sheet included with this guide!

5. Set aside 5 minutes in the morning. Use this time

to identify your tasks.

6. Set aside 30 minutes at the end of each week.

Review your tracking sheets and plan for the
next week.

Set aside 5 minutes in the morning.

Use this time to identify your tasks.

CHRIS WINFIELD
 Marinara Timer (Web): You can keep this web app
open in one of your tabs. Its very flexible and
doesnt require any downloads.

Tomighty (Win/Mac/Linux): This is a desktop timer

you can simply start and get going, following the
traditional Pomodoro Technique. Or you can
customize the timing to suit your needs.

Eggsellent (OSX): With an innovative visual timer

and deep integration with OS X Mountain Lion
Reminders, Things, and OmniFocus, Eggscellent
helps you focus on balancing your time and
tasks with the most beautiful time management
application for your desktop.

Focus Timer (iOS): Use this with your iPhone

or iPad. Customize your work and break times,
review your progress to see how your focus is
improving, easily see how much time is left on the
timer, and even customize the sounds.

ClockWork Tomato (Android): A simple and

elegant time management app, based on the
Pomodoro technique.

CHRIS WINFIELD
CHRIS WINFIELD
Check Your Energy

In a perfect world, youd have eight high-value tasks

identified at the start of each workday. Youd prioritize
these, and knock them off one by one, from most
important to least. Youd be equally enthusiastic
and motivated about each one, you would never be
interrupted, and youd finish your days work in less
than three hours. Unfortunately, as you already know,
we dont live in a perfect world :)

The reality is that youre a human being, living in a

world full of other humans. To make this work long-
term, its important to understand how things like
energy level and attitude affect your work output.
Having a positive outlook will boost your motivation.

That is why it is so important to take inventory of how

you are feeling in the present moment. Try thinking
about/asking yourself the following questions before
you begin working:

CHRIS WINFIELD
Physical energy How healthy am I?
Emotional energy How happy am I?
Mental energy How well can I focus
on something?
Spiritual energy Why am I doing this?
What is my purpose?

Addressing any area where you feel your energy is low

will enable you to begin your Pomodoros with vigor
and energy. Remember, you are switching from high
quantity work time to a high quality work time. Take
the time to set yourself up for success.

You can use the following Energy Inventory sheet

to help.

CHRIS WINFIELD
On a scale from 1-5 (1 being very little energy; 5 being
highly energized), assess your level of energy for each
of the following: (Circle the corresponding number)

Physical energy 1 2 3 4 5
Emotional energy 1 2 3 4 5
Mental energy 1 2 3 4 5
Spiritual energy 1 2 3 4 5

Area(s) needing attention:

......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................

Ideas for rejuvenation:

......................................................................................
......................................................................................
......................................................................................

Post Assessment (after completing rejuvenation activity):

Physical energy 1 2 3 4 5
Emotional energy 1 2 3 4 5
Mental energy 1 2 3 4 5
Spiritual energy 1 2 3 4 5

CHRIS WINFIELD
Making This System Work for YOU

There may be days where 5:00pm rolls around, and

you havent finished your 8 Pomodoros. Rather than
stress yourself out about it, think about why you are
limiting yourself to a Monday-Friday, 9-5 workweek.

Instead, consider working when it suits you. You may

find that putting in a set of Pomodoros on a Saturday
afternoon doesnt seem so bad when you were finally
able to watch your sons entire football game the
night before.

Adjust your thinking from having 40-45 hours

available to complete your 40 Pomodoros, to having
168 hours each week. Since you will only need 16.7
hours, you will only be working 10% of your time!

Youre probably thinking, I work more than that in

two days, and youre trying to tell me thats all I need
to work in an entire week? The simple answer is- YES!
(and no). Youll probably still work more than 16.7
hours a week.

Youll spend additional hours on calls, meetings,

networking (on and offline), and other less-focused

CHRIS WINFIELD
tasks. These are important, but probably arent the
heart of your work. Youll find that in your 16.7 hours
each week that you get about five times more done in
those few hours than in the other 25+ hours.

Theres no avoiding it, life happens. As long as humans

are involved, and especially if you live in modern
society with its 24/7 connectedness, its next to
impossible to have a perfect working environment.
However, you can work smarter without having to
work harder.

Youll find that in your 16.7 hours

each week that you get about five
times more done in those few hours
than in the other 25+ hours.

CHRIS WINFIELD
CHRIS WINFIELD
Pomodoros....You know what they are. You know why
they are important. You know how to do them. You have
to tools to make them work. Now its time for action.

Lets review your plan of action:

1. Take inventory of your energy.

2. Formulate a to-do list.
3. Organize that list, selecting the Pomodoros
for the day.
4. Pomodoro time!
5. Reflect on your what you accomplished that
day and what needs to get done tomorrow.

As was said in the beginning, this is something you

can start implementing today. Today you can regain
control of your time and your life.

Will it take effort? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

C L I C K H E R E TO V I S I T

CHRISWINFIELD.COM

FOR MORE GREAT RESOURCES

CHRIS WINFIELD
 (Endnotes)

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/03/
top-5-regrets-of-the-dying_n_3640593.html

2. http://caps.ucsd.edu/Downloads/tx_forms/koch/
pomodoro_handouts/ThePomodoroTechnique_
v1-3.pdf

CHRIS WINFIELD