While I’ve been doing the work to package and release the Victor Storm novels of my Kickstarter, I’ve been mapping out the books I want to finish and get out over the next few months. What I have planned is a lot of work. But, I have a secret weapon for staying on task: Focusmate.
Focusmate, if you haven’t heard, is a website that lets you schedule a block of time you’d like to work (25, 50, or 75 minutes), then pairs you with someone else working at the same time for the same duration. At the scheduled time, you then have a little conference with that person, almost always with your cameras on so you can see them working and they can see you. You greet each other at the beginning of the session, set your intentions as far as what you hope to accomplish in the session, then usually mute your microphones and go to work. At the end of the session, you unmute your microphones and tell briefly how it went. Then you sign off and either go to the next block or do whatever you want.
It probably sounds awkward to some people, and completely unnecessary to others, but I and many others find it almost magic. Something about having another person visibly working with you makes it easy to stay undistracted and on task. It’s very powerful, and it’s how I’ve gotten some of my best work done over the past few years.
Give it a try if you have work to do.