So, as we established in our last blog, one of the best ways to make progress with a long drawn out creative process is to break it down into shorter, less intimidating chunks, and to limit the amount of time we spend on it.

By doing a little each day, we generate good creative habits, and bypass the kind of pressure that can encourage writer’s block and lead to long spells ignoring the projects you should be working on.

If you’re signed up to this way of thinking, then you’re going to love the Pomodoro Method.

This is a handy technique that you can apply to any walk of life, whether you’re at work struggling with a tricky project, or cleaning at home and needing a little motivation.

The Pomodoro Method is a simple way to boost your productivity, but used wisely, it can be incredibly effective.

The basic principle of the technique says that you should break up large tasks into small chunks of time – these are called Pomodoros , the Italian word for tomato.

So you approach your musical project, and work -solidly- for 25 minutes on it, without taking a break, and getting distracted procrastinating. If an idea, or a distraction comes into your mind, simply write it down and carry on with your work.

This is where the tomatoes come in, if you’re wondering, as the creator, Francesco Cirillo, used a novelty tomato shaped kitchen timer to keep track of his 25 minute bursts.

At the end of this 25 minutes – and this is key, no matter how motivated you’re feeling – you have to stop. You then take a five minute break, before beginning another 25 minute spurt.

By breaking up the task like this, it becomes infinitely less complex and intimidating. Once you’ve completed four pomodoros, you can relax for a while, and enjoy a 25 minute break.

Suddenly, instead of needing to create the best piece of music ever heard, all you need to do is feel happy that you’ve worked hard for 25 minutes on your project. By subtly shifting your goals like this, you can beat down the psychological issues that stop progress, and begin to make real progress on your projects.

You’ll find that the more you do it the better trained you become at sitting down and putting in a solid 25 minutes of effort.

Over time, you’ll find that you’re using your time more effectively, making more progress and feeling more inspired. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!