The Flavorful Approach to Time Management: Pickles, Tomatoes, and More One of the best skills you can learn and employ in your life is time management. You’ll feel the success when you can efficiently prioritize tasks, configure a schedule, and...

One of the best skills you can learn and employ in your life is time management. You’ll feel the success when you can efficiently prioritize tasks, configure a schedule, and follow through with your goals. However, managing your time effectively isn’t always a skill that comes naturally. You may have to find someone who is an expert and ask them to teach you.  It can be taught, but this skill has to be developed. Luckily, there are many strategies out there to implement in your life. People have also gotten creative with these techniques to make them more fun — I decided to give these strategies food themes. Keep reading to learn about these tasty time management strategies and how to use them.

1. Pickle Jar Theory

Sadly, the Pickle Jar Theory doesn’t involve pickles — just the jar. Some have called it “The Bucket of Rocks Theory.” If you are new to time management, this may be a good place to start. This theory, strategy, and skill seeks to help you learn how to prioritize your responsibilities. A crucial part of time management is honing the skills to know what to prioritize and how.

Imagine a pickle jar (or bucket) representing your day or week, whichever unit you’d like to work with. Then, picture a few objects in the jar that represent the tasks you need to complete. These objects might include rocks for big, important projects, pebbles for medium-sized assignments, sand for easy tasks, and water for leisure activities.

Now that you’ve categorized your responsibilities, it’s time to fill the jar with what you will accomplish that day. However, how you load it definitely matters — and this is how you learn to prioritize. If you put down the easy, minuscule items first — sand and water — then you’ll have a harder time fitting in the pebbles and rocks. It’s best to tackle the toughest and most important things first, and this will set a firm foundation to branch into smaller tasks.

You can also use the Pickle Jar concept to divvy up one big project. Instead of imagining the jar as a unit of time, think of it as the task as a whole. Now, the fillings can represent parts of the project, so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. Just remember to finish the big pieces first so the jar fills easily.

Summary

• Pickle Jar represents your time, and what you fill it with takes up your time.
• What you’re putting in the jar.
  • Rocks = big tasks
  • Pebbles = medium-sized tasks
  • Sand = easy tasks
  • Water = leisure activities or personal time
• Fill your time by layering types of tasks with larger responsibilities going in the jar first.

2. Salami Slice Technique

Speaking of dividing things up so they’re not so daunting, the Salami Slice Technique is a great strategy for challenging tasks. Think about a large salami stick — you don’t try to eat it whole or in big bites when you eat it. Salami is best enjoyed when sliced and maybe added to a sandwich or on a cracker with cheese. In other words, the meat is a metaphor for an enormous task you must divide into smaller elements to conquer.

This time management system teaches you how to effectively and efficiently break down tasks. When you have a big, important project with many elements, you know it’s impossible to conquer it all at once. This is especially true if you have multiple projects to work on simultaneously. In these scenarios, the Salami-Slicing technique will help you feel less overwhelmed, and you’ll see how doable the work is.

To start your slicing, sit down and survey the task. Configure how to split it up, then write down all these pieces in a to-do list method. Once you have a visual of how you will tackle the project, you can go into the work feeling less daunted.

Summary

• Break down big tasks into smaller ones
• Tackle each small task, one bite at a time

3. Pomodoro Method

Now that the picnic foods are out of the way, it’s time to discuss a technique named after a sophisticated food—the tomato. This time management strategy was devised by an Italian college student who used a tomato-shaped timer while studying. “Pomodoro” is the Italian word for tomato — and the method relies on using a timer.

The way the Pomodoro technique operates is actually quite easy. It goes in intervals of 25 minutes of work and five minutes of a break. The easiest way to do this is by setting timers so you don’t lose track of how long you’ve been working or studying. Additionally, you earn a longer break for every four rounds of this, or two hours of using the technique. Instead of five minutes off, you’ll get 15 to 30 minutes to relax.

Ensure you’re utilizing these breaks properly, even if you’re on a roll. There’s something scientific about the on-off approach for study and work that helps you better retain information. Also, you don’t want to overwork yourself, which can become an unhealthy habit. Get up and walk around the room, get a drink, do some stretches, or eat a snack. Whatever you do to unwind during those breaks, ensure you’re not cheating yourself of the precious minutes that will revive you.

Summary

• Work 25 minutes
• Take a five-minute break for every 25 minutes of work
• Take a 15-30 minute break for every four rounds of method

4. Eat the Frog

Mark Twain is known for saying, “This one isn’t quite as delicious as pickles, tomatoes, and salami, but it’s just as effective of a technique. And while all of these have been food metaphors, this one is derived from a metaphor. The title comes from a quote by Mark Twain, the famous American author who created Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The full quote reads,

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”  —Mark Twain

Ew, why are we talking about eating frogs in the first place? Twain’s words mean that if a big, undesirable task needs to be done, it’s better to go ahead and get it over with. Nowadays, you’ve probably heard the phrase “rip the bandaid off” instead, but these have the same meaning.

When you have an important task or project to accomplish, but you’re seriously dreading it, make yourself do it first. Start your day by getting the worst part out of the way, and then the rest of the day is much easier. You’ll be less likely to keep procrastinating on that task, as well. Additionally, when it comes to having more than one dreaded thing to do, Twain recommends doing the worst one first (a.k.a. the bigger frog).

Summary

• Do the worst task on your list first to get it over with

Time Management isn’t Always Tasty

While these techniques have sounded delicious for the most part, they might not feel that way at the beginning of implementation. Trying new ways of doing things can be challenging and even tedious when you’re used to another method. However, utilizing practices to manage your time better is all worth it, leading to more efficiency, productivity, and even free time. So go ahead and slice that salami and fill that pickle jar!

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