Writing Coach Podcast 112: 15 minutes of focus

WCP112 15 Minutes of focus

It’s been longer than I would’ve liked since the last episode. I’ve had coronavirus, and although my symptoms have been squarely in the mild category–I can breathe and take pills to keep my fever in check–I wasn’t recovered in a couple of weeks as I had anticipated.

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It’s been longer than I would’ve liked since the last episode. I’ve had coronavirus, and although my symptoms have been squarely in the mild category–I can breathe and take pills to keep my fever in check–I wasn’t recovered in a couple of weeks as I had anticipated. I thought long covid was for people who wound up in the hospital.

Initially, it was a no brainer that I would pull back and avoid any work task that I feasibly could. No internal resistance because the body’s need for rest was so obvious.

And then I started having some moments when I felt better, my brain was clearer, and I thought I could do certain work tasks again

I started with half a Pomodoro at a time. 15 minutes of focus.

This wasn’t stacking a dozen 15-minute blocks. Sometimes one left me exhausted, ready for a nap.

Of course, sometimes I told myself, “15 minutes wasn’t enough” or “I’m never going to get back on top of everything at this rate.” But I also caught myself.

Those thoughts could distract me from focusing, and from experiencing progress. Noticing that I was doing my best was way more useful than wallowing in insufficiency.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

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