NaNoWriMo2024 Reward

This year…. I  WON NaNoWriMo! I wrote 50,000 words in 8 days! I’ve been holding back my Muse so I could start writing on November 1st, and believe me, I was right here at my desk at 11:59 pm on October 31st reading to open the dam! And I’ve been on FIRE ever since!!! I hit 50k at 1:23 pm on November 8th. This is my personal best… once I wrote 50k in 10 days, but that was back in 2012 or something like that.

And then, I ordered myself a reward!!! It’s this fabulous book page embosser, from Callie., a store that does all kinds of personalized items. In fact, they have personalized book cover earrings, cute little dangling books with your book cover on them, and I’ve gotten a couple… just for fun 🙂 I strongly believe in the Rewards system!!!

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My REWARD for finishing FOXY LADY

I put this to a vote with my newsletter subscribers, and 66% voted for this darling baby kirin from Windstone Editions as my reward for finishing Foxy Lady 🙂 The bat-winged flap cat and the coiled dragon are also from Windstone Editions, and were my reward for finishing the previous book, A Witch in Time. I hadn’t been able to choose between them, so I did a survey in my newsletter, letting my subscribers choose for me… the voting was 50/50 and a huge percentage used option C, to write in comments telling me to get both! LOL! So, I did!

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The Pomodoro Technique

In a workshop on writing, the instructor mentioned decision fatigue. So I went looking for time management systems, and discovered the Pomodoro Technique. I’m here to tell you, it works!!! (see my post on Procrastionation vs Decision Fatigue for more on how the Pomodoro Technique can benefit writers)

I had this conversation with ClaudeAI about the Pomodoro Technique.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It breaks work into focused 25-minute intervals, called “pomodoros,” followed by short breaks.

The basic steps are: 1. Choose a task 2. Set a timer for 25 minutes 3. Work without interruption until the timer rings 4. Take a 5-minute break 5. After 4 pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break

This technique helps maintain focus, reduce mental fatigue, and manage time more effectively. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer (“pomodoro” means tomato in Italian) that Cirillo used as a student.

Would you like me to explain more about how to implement this technique or its benefits?

It sounds pretty straight-forward. Could you elaborate on the benefits?

The key benefits of the Pomodoro Technique include:

– Reduced mental fatigue: The regular breaks prevent burnout and help maintain consistent energy levels – Better focus: Knowing you only need to concentrate for 25 minutes makes it easier to avoid distractions – Improved productivity: The time constraint creates a sense of urgency that can boost efficiency – Natural work planning: The technique helps break large tasks into manageable chunks – Decreased procrastination: The short time commitment makes it easier to start difficult tasks – Better time awareness: Regular intervals help you understand how long tasks actually take – Reduced decision fatigue: The structured format eliminates constant decisions about when to take breaks

The technique is particularly effective because 25 minutes is long enough to make meaningful progress but short enough to maintain focus without becoming mentally drained.

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