It's working!! I've been turning off my email/gmail/reader/cell/facebook/co-workers, and I'm getting stuff done! The inertia has passed and I'm finally making progress. However, I am still finding it challenging to work for 60 consecutive minutes. I do a lot of problem solving, writing computer scripts, and statistics - and my head starts to hurt. Literally. Sometimes I need to get up from my computer and walk around and clear my head for a few minutes. A few minutes. This is where I'm having a problem.
Because instead of walking around, I usually go on a mental break by turning on my gchat or checking my google reader. And then, as though I stepped into a magical time machine, an hour has passed. Poof!
I need to start setting a time limit on my breaks. I downloaded Alarm Clock, and today I'm going to set the timer during breaks. When the timer goes off, it is time to return to my dissertation. There are many different alarm sounds to choose from. In the spirit of Skinner week, maybe I should have one sound to signal starting work (i.e., the end of a break) and a different sound to signal break-time (i.e., the end of work). If lemonade were a sound, that is the sound that I'd like to signal break-time.
How long of breaks do you take to recharge?

**Photo by Paula Patton













