Being More Productive

When I worked as a tutor, I used the strategy of setting a timer for those students who didn't want to start their homework or project because it was going to be boring or hard and they wanted to avoid it. Who would guess that now after my stroke I had to use the pacing strategy myself to increase my endurance and build up the capacity to do tasks that require cognitive energy. To do this, I’m using a modified Pompodo technique. The Pomodoro technique is organized into six incremental goals. (www.francescocirillo.com) I will list them and then describe how I modify them for myself and tell you why it's so important for me as a person with aphasia.

1. find out how much effort an activity requires

2. cut down on interruptions

3. estimate the effort for activities

4. make the Pomodoro more effective

5. set up a timetable

6. define your own objectives

#1 - how much effort an activity requires. After a stroke and especially having aphasia, I am very aware of the cognitive energy it takes for activities. From the minute I wake up (assuming I have a good night's sleep) I have only so much energy to use. The more demanding the task is cognitively, the great energy I have to expend, the shorter the duration I can do the task before I get "brain fog"or cannot function at optimum capacity.

I am still trying to figure this whole thing out 20 months later. Obviously at the beginning of my recovery, the less I was able do before having fatigue. It has gotten better but not by much. As an example, 4 months after my stroke, I went back to work. I started going for 8 hours per week (2.5 hours per day for 2 days and 3 hour for the last day). I went on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to give myself rest in between. I could only increase to 10 hours per week and that was even too much. The fatigue was the major factor in my having to "retire" in February 2020.

(www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk and www.braininjury-explanation.com for more infornation) Fatigue is the feeling of extreme tiredness or weakness which can make it difficult for you to perform ordinary tasks. When you do hard work, it is normal to get tired, i.e. exercise, doing housework. But mental fatigue is different from physical fatigue. When the brain uses its informational processing abilities, one can experience mental fatigue. This is especially true of people who've had a stroke and those with aphasia and apraxia of speech. Even tasks which seem calm and sedate normally, can trigger neurofatigue for me. Chatting with friends either in person or on the phone, listening to a book or story, driving the car, going grocery shopping, watching TV, playing with my granddaughter. Each different activity uses some energy and I've had to figure how much each uses. I have to figure out which activities I want to do that day; allot the minimum time to do it. If I go over the time, I will completely "run out of gas" and cannot do anything else. Each morning I try to plan my day now to ensure that I set aside time for what I want/have to accomplish.

#2 - Cut down on interruptions. This is extremely important to me. Since the stroke, I really cannot attend to multiple things. I can't talk if the phone is ringing. I can't concentrate on certain tasks when there is music even in the background. Lights can also bother me. And let me tell you how out of it I was at a basketball game with the the blaring music, strobe lights, cheering, watching the basketball players and hearing spectators talking to one another.

Obviously now when I want to do something important like reading or writing, I am in a very quiet room in my house. Most likely in my lovely office space pictured here.

#3 and 4 - Estimate the effort for activities and set up a timetable. How much time will it take to complete the whole task and then make a plan to accomplish it? Set enough increments (for the Pomodoro technique it is 25 minutes of work, then rest for 5 minutes) to do the work.

Here's what I try to do. When I schedule time in my day for shopping, I allot 15 to 20 minutes of driving each way and another 30 minutes to shop. That to me right now is doable and is at the maximum. Any more than that, I am sure to experience fatigue. For my speech therapy and recovery, I am working to improve my writing and abilities. I allot 15 minute increments with a 10 minute break for each "pacing". Right now on a very good day I can do 3 pacings and on a good day 2 at a time.

Here today, it is a beautiful snowy day. This post has taken 2 - 3 pacings. I'm going to rest.

I hope you have a wonderful day! Here are some additional pictures of my space.