How has your last two weeks been? Mine have been good. I am glad to be back here.

Sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, image from adhikara.

I purposefully didn’t mention too widely that I was going to be in Italy for a big chunk of the time I was away — no need to encourage crazies to come ransack my house or something.  But that is where I was, and I just got back last night.  I have (at least until the morning) been feeling so refreshed and ready to jump into new and exciting things that I will soon share with you.  (to clarify,  I am still excited for all the new things and ideas, but the stress of arriving back into a chaotic life seems somehow magnified when you go from zero stress to ten thousand times too much stress in about an hour — this morning seemed to take away, in an instant, all my refreshed feelings.)

So, as of right now, I am adding to my list of new and exciting things, that I will be trying on some new work and life management habits.  One of which is the pomodoro technique — that is basically giving my full focus to whatever I am working on for 25 minute blocks.  I think I can handle that and I am hoping that it will help me get away from feeling like I am constantly trying to multitask and I never getting anything done.  (I am on a 25 minute stopwatch for this post right now) .

Plus I am still in the mode of the Italians….pomodoro, po-mo-dorrrr -o, pom-o-dor-o, pomo-dorrrr-o, —say it at least three times, and you can almost start to image you are in Italy….

Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor who works are displayed at places around the world ranging from the Vatican museums to the Tehran art museum and the University of California at Berkeley.

Anyway, welcome back — I have a great post for you coming up from our friend Stacy Bass to share in my next 25 minute focused work session.  But before that, I need to go spend 25 minutes unpacking, making breakfast and getting the laundry started.

bottom image via wikipedia.