Hello everyone, this is Helen Huang @ Organizing, based in Beijing, China.In order to better learn and practice the YiXiaoNeng Time Management System, after finished publishing 100 Chinese articles, I decided to continue writing and publishing a daily English article in another 100 days based on the "YeWuBin Time Management 100 Episodes" audio program. Today is the 111th day.

Today's topic is: Devote ourself to one thing at a time.

We can only do things well if we devote our energy and focus to that task. To complete a task to the best of our ability, we must attend to it with our heart and soul. So when an item is on your list or schedule, and it is time to omplete it, devote your full energy and attention to it.

Let me tell you a story: Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the richest man in the world, and Warren Buffett, the most successful investor in the world, were both asked, "What is the key to success?" They didn't answer out loud. Instead, they wrote five letters on a piece of paper: F-O-C-U-S. The word they spelt was FOCUS.

In our lives, we must do things that we wish to accomplish. We must focus on our goals and in order to do this.  In order to clear our lists of the many items we need to accomplish, we must be efficient. And to be efficient, we must complete tasks quickly and effectively. And in order to do this, we must focus our full attention and energy to each individual task.

However, during our lives we are constantly distracted by things around us, which threaten to steal our focus and energy from the task we need to devote it to.

Think of the last time you opened your computer or phone to complete an important task. What was the very first thing you did? Did you go right to that task? Or did you stop to check your email or text messages? Did you check your WeChat orFacebook?

And when you did this, how long were you distracted? It is in this way that time is slowly taken from the task we need to use it for and given to those unimportant, unurgent activities. These bits of activity steal valuable time that we need to devote to the tasks in front of us. Can you see how it really is not that we have no time, but that we don't use the time that we already have effectively. 

Now let me tell you how you can use the time you have to focus on the things you need to get done, which is this:

If you want to increase the efficiency of your work, then first increase the density of the time you devote to each task. If you now spend 1 hour to complete a task, ask yourself: How can you complete it in half of that time, or even just 10 minutes with the same quality result? This is what I mean.

This intense focus and devotion to our tasks is not something we should do 24 hours a day. You should only do this when you are focusing on your tasks.

So how exactly do we devote our energies? What is the secret? The secret is to do one thing at a time!

But how convert this idea into practice? What specifically should we do? I am going to share with you a powerful method that people have used all over the world.

Over the past 3 years, l've taught over 300 time management courses to a live audience. I wanted my students to learn more and more, and in shorter and shorter time. To do this, I asked them to do one thing. I asked them to eat the tomato. Yeah, you heard me right - I said eat the tomato. Ok, I don't mean actually eating a tomato. I mean using a special device called a Pomodoro clock.

So what is a Pomodoro clock? Actually, it's a clock used for counting down time. It's a timer. It was used in the past to count down the time needed to make tomato sauce or Pomodoro sauce.

For example, if you need to cook soup for 30 minutes, you would twist the pomodoro clock to the 30 minute mark and let it count down. When it reaches 0, it will ring letting you know that time is up.

This inventor of the technique was a cook working out of a kitchen all day long . And over time he began to see that he could only focus his energy for a short amount of time before his energy began to weaken, and he was unable to concentrate anymore on the single task he was working on. 

That's the reason why this time management technique is now called the Pomodoro Technique. This man found that if he spent too long concentrating on a task he would get a to a point where he could no longer focus on any task for even a few minutes, because he became tired.

So I want you to try something — see how long you can focus on a single task without becoming distracted or losing focus.

Start small. Focus for 15 minutes first before resting, and then 25 minutes, and then 45 minutes, and gradually increase the time you spend focusing on your tasks one by one.

You can use the actual Pomodoro count down clock, or some of its varaitions like the apple or pear count down clocks. And you can buy on TaoBao or Amazon. You can also use your mobile phone's timer functions if you wish.

Set the time to 25 minutes. Then, during these 25 minutes, devote yourself fully and completely to the task in front of you. Do not eat. Do not drink. Do not use the bathroom. Do not use your mobile phone. Don't do anything but what's needed to complete your assigned task.

Try it today. What do you have to lose? It's just 25 minutes. 

And make sure you don't eat or drink or use the bathroom during these 25 minute period. So, in order to do that, prepare yourself beforehand and have that drink or use bathroom before or after the 25 minutes period. It is critical that you do not let yourself become distracted during your 25 minute period.

After the 25 minute period is up, give yourself 5 minutes to rest. Have a drink, use the bathroom and relax, then begin another 25 minute session of intense concentration. Continue to repeat these cycles of 25 minutes work and 5 minutes rest.

As you do this more and more, you will find that can you do more and more in those 25 minutes. As you begin you may only complete 50% of your task during the25 minutes. But as you practice and become more efficient in the technique, you will get 75% done in the single 25 minutesperiod or even 100%.

This is called the Pomodoro technique.

Now, many of my students will ask, "Mr. Ye, l've seen the pomodoro technique. It's nothing more than repeating cycles of 25 minutes work and 5 minutes rest. It's too simple. It's too boring."

Well, I want to tell you: This technique is indeed very simple. But, remember what we talked in an earlier lesson: "The best way to achieve great things is usually the simplest way." And this technique is really quite simple. 

It is normal to feel this way. Often we are unwilling to do the simple things. But when we accept a more complex method like the GTD method, we will overcome with how complex and large it seems. In the end it is really an excuse.

This excuse and unwillingness to do the simple things to change your habits and bring out the full potential in each and every minutes of your life, is one of the key reasons people fail in their ambition to become better managers of their time.

So today, give it a try. Learn how your mind and your actions are affected by this technique. You may not be perfect at first, but work on it, devote your energy to it and adapt and improve each time. Write down what works and What doesn't. 

I have been using this technique for years. In fact, l'm using it at this very moment to create these lessons on Ximalaya for you. And after so many years of practice, this technique is very easy for me.

If you are ready to start training in this technique, please do it exactly as explained before — 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off. It won't be easy at first, but over time you will turn this skill into your habit. And what was once a difficult method will become easy as your brain becomes accustomed to it. You will be amazed at just how much you can accomplish in a single 25 minute span of time if you focus your energy into that single task.

So in summary, remember today's topic: do one thing at a time.

Only when you focus your energies into a single task, can you not only get things done, but get things done well.

And by doing this, you will eliminate the frogs from your life, complete the tasks on our list, and complete the goals you have created for yourself, and eventually achieve the life you've always wanted for yourself.

Thank you being with me together today. Have a wonderful day!