TIL my grandma's wind-up timer was a focus beast

She had this loud kitchen timer from the 70s for getting through her daily list. I tried using it to power through my own tasks, setting it for short bursts. The thing was so jarring when it went off that I'd jump every time. My quiet phone timer just doesn't have the same urgent, do-it-now feeling.

3 comments

3 Comments

brookelewis1mo ago

I mean, it's a loud timer, not a life coach. My phone does the same job without giving me a heart attack. Seems like you're just trading focus for being startled, which is its own kind of distraction. Maybe the real trick is just doing the thing instead of making a whole show about timing it.

pauld991mo ago

Trading focus for being startled is a good way to put it. Sometimes these productivity hacks feel like people are just adding extra steps to avoid the actual work. You might be onto something with just doing the thing instead of setting up some loud, jarring system. It’s funny how much energy we spend on the tools instead of the task.

noahmartin1mo ago

Exactly, people overcomplicate simple tasks in my line of work too.