Welcome to our series of RoundPie interviews, where we show you the people who use RoundPie and their stories. Our users will tell you...
- how they use RoundPie
- why they track time and use the Pomodoro method
- what kind of results they were able to achieve
Liz Hardwick, Co-Founder, International Speaker and Trainer at DigiEnable
What is your name and what do you do?
Hi, I’m Liz Hardwick and I’m Co-Founder, International Speaker and Trainer at DigiEnable . DigiEnable is a Digital Training and SEO Services company based in Lancashire and supports many businesses and non-profit organisations across the UK and beyond.
I help businesses and organisations be more digitally savvy and visible online, supporting a more productive and engaging future world of work.
When have you started using RoundPie?
I’ve been using the Pomodoro technique for around 6 years. I was 2 years into running my new business and I had that massive feeling of overwhelm, so much to do, a million things on the to-do-list and a distinct lack of knowing what to do first. I spent the next couple of years reading all the productivity books I could get my hands on, downloading hundreds of different apps, and trying loads of different techniques. The shortest book ended up being the most useful – Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy – this was where I was introduced to Pomodoro and the rest is history.
I’ve been using RoundPie now for a couple of months and I love it. I previously used an Android only app which was fabulous called Task Timer Calendar, but it didn’t have a web or Windows interface, and about 6 months ago, it started having errors and now has been removed from the app store… So I went on a 4 hour mission to find the next Pomodoro app for my tasks, and found RoundPie.
A favourite feature has to be the integrations – which makes life so much simpler and automates some of the faff you get with trying to be productive with technology.
What is the main reason you track your time and use the Pomodoro technique?
I’m very picky when it comes to my processes and apps. I like to be super organised and be able to record and analyse my stats, so RoundPie was a great find!
I like to track my time to be able to reflect weekly and monthly on where my time is being spent – if I’m not doing enough days in the office as Pomodoro days, I know I’m not having as productive week as I should be. I can also look back on what tasks have soaked up my time and what I should be spending more time on – all from a glance in my calendar. Using the Pomodoro Technique helps you focus on answering the question “right what next?!”, pick a task, set the timer and get it done. This helps me get much more done in a day, as it helps focus at the start of each Pomodoro on the next task. Over time, you also learn how long tasks will take – for example emails=2 Pomodoros a day.
I used to work in live broadcasting and there were instant on-air deadlines, if you didn’t finish something on time, you had dead air. Then when I started my business I no longer had those super-urgent deadlines and I found lack of deadlines increased my procrastination! So I now use Pomodoro as a way of making myself a mini deadline – 25 minutes to try and zero my inbox – it gets really competitive.
I now run workshops in using productivity techniques and technology and I’m always learning off others – one of our clients recently told me they now do group Pomodoro’s, which has massively helped their productivity in their open plan office – what a team effort!
How do you most commonly use RoundPie?
As I speak at events and I’m regularly out and about, I use RoundPie mainly when I’m at my desk, doing admin, marketing, business planning, projects etc. I usually use the Windows app, and really like seeing the tiny number counting down in the task bar to keep me on track!
I select one of my tasks from my to-do list app ToDoist, always pick the traditional 25 minutes and hit go. If I complete a task I have it setup to sync back to my ToDoist so I’m not duplicating actions in multiple apps.
What kind of results have you achieved by tracking your time?
If I use the Pomodoro technique throughout my week, increase my productivity and reduce procrastination, I can if I’ve been good, take Fridays off – meaning I can take my 5 day working week, down to 4. It doesn’t always work, and if I’m having a busy week outside of the office, it’s much harder to section time up, but it’s a great way to self-motivate, extra day off work a week anyone?!
What is your favorite RoundPie feature(s)?
I LOVE the fact that each RoundPie segment can be noted as a bespoke formatted Google Calendar event item via Zappier – this is the number one reason I use this app!
Your best tip for tracking time or using the Pomodoro technique?
Setup some Local Tasks in RoundPie – not everything we do always links with a specific item in your to-do-list so I have some simple generic tasks to select from that I never “complete” – that way I can still track my time doing “Emails” “Social Media” “Planning” or “On-Business” and can then see those easily in my calendar alongside all my one-off tasks.
Liz Hardwick,
Co-Founder, International Speaker and Trainer at DigiEnable
@tech_geek_girl
Preston, United Kingdom
DigiEnable Podcast - May 2019
If you would like to be featured in this interview series as well, please contact us at info@theroundpie.com, for a chance to show:
- your Pomodoro Technique and RoundPie story about productivity
- your name and photo
- link to your website
Looking forward to your submissions!
What would you like to know and what would be the best way to share this information to you? What is the best tips & tricks, what workaround do you use? We'd really appreciate your insight on these ones to make our integrations better, more productive and much more efficient. Comments, tweets are always welcome.