Alright, let’s talk about this “29 55” thing I’ve been trying out lately. It’s not some magic formula I found in a book, more like something I stumbled into trying to get my head straight during the day.
Getting Started with It
So, picture this: my desk is usually a mess, ideas flying everywhere, half-finished tasks piling up. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels most days. I needed some kind of structure, but all those fancy productivity methods felt too complicated or just… not me. I remembered reading somewhere about working in focused bursts, but the numbers always seemed kinda arbitrary, like 25 minutes, then 5. I thought, why not try my own weird numbers? So, 29 and 55 popped into my head. Don’t ask me why those specific numbers, they just did.
First step was dead simple: I grabbed my phone and set a timer. That’s it. No special apps, no fancy gadgets. Just the basic timer app.
The Actual Process – How I Did It
Okay, here’s the routine I tried to follow:
- Find the one thing: Before starting, I’d look at my messy to-do list and pick one single thing I needed to focus on. Just one. This was harder than it sounds, usually felt like juggling five balls at once.
- Set the 29-minute timer: I’d hit start and just go. For those 29 minutes, the rule was: only work on that one chosen task. No email checking, no quick glances at social media, no getting up for coffee unless the house was on fire.
- The 29-minute grind: Man, those first few times were tough. My brain desperately wanted to jump to something else. Felt like holding a hyperactive dog on a short leash. But I forced myself. Sometimes I’d only get a tiny bit done, but it was focused work. When the timer went off, I had to stop. Mid-sentence, mid-thought, whatever. Stop.
- Then, the 55-minute timer: Right after the 29 minutes ended, I’d immediately set a new timer for 55 minutes. This was supposed to be the ‘other’ block.
- What I did in the 55: This part was less strict. Sometimes I used it to plan the next 29-minute block. Sometimes I’d read articles related to my work, but not the intense focus kind. Often, honestly? I’d just get up, walk around, grab that coffee, stare out the window. It was meant to be a longer period to either recharge, think more broadly, or handle those little tasks that didn’t need deep focus. The key was not doing intense, focused work during this time.
- Repeat (or try to): I aimed to do maybe two or three of these 29/55 cycles in a day, especially during the core working hours.
How It Actually Felt and What Happened
So, did it work? Yeah, kinda. Sometimes.
The 29-minute blocks were surprisingly effective when I stuck to them. Forcing myself to focus on one thing, even for a short-ish, weirdly specific time like 29 minutes, meant I actually made progress on stuff I’d been avoiding. It felt intense, like a sprint.
The 55-minute blocks were hit or miss. When I used them intentionally – like for sketching out ideas loosely, or taking a proper walk outside – they felt really valuable. A good breather, a way to reset. But other times? Let’s be real, I totally wasted them. Got lost scrolling online, or just felt restless waiting for the next 29-minute ‘sprint’. It took discipline to make the 55 minutes useful rest or planning time, instead of just… unproductive limbo.
Overall thoughts? It’s not a perfect system. It takes effort to stick to the timers and be honest about focusing during the 29 and truly switching gears (or resting) during the 55. It helped me break down big tasks and forced me to actually start things. The rigid structure, even with its weird timing, provided some handrails on days I felt completely adrift. I’m still playing with it, maybe the numbers need tweaking, maybe I need to be stricter with the 55-minute part. But yeah, that’s the story of my little “29 55” experiment. Just putting it out there, in case anyone else feels like they’re drowning in chaos and wants to try something simple, even if it sounds a bit odd.
