Interms of storytelling, all this genre-jumping technique effectively pulls the viewer out of the distanced, intellectual space into which we are initially lulled and thrusts us instead into a more visceral mindset.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.[1] It uses a kitchen timer to break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student.[2][1]
Apps and websites providing timers and instructions have widely popularized the technique. Closely related to concepts such as timeboxing and iterative and incremental development used in software design, the method has been adopted in pair programming contexts.[3]
The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique.[1] In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a "To Do Today" list, enabling users to estimate the effort they will require. As pomodoros are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement.[1]
The creator and his proponents encourage a low-tech approach, using a mechanical timer, paper, and pencil. The physical act of winding the timer confirms the user's determination to start the task; ticking externalises the desire to complete the task; ringing announces a break. Flow and focus become associated with these physical stimuli.[1][8]
Rowing is a natural motion and most people pick it up quickly with instruction and/or spending time focusing on technique. Have someone watch you row, comparing your body positions to those shown in the video below. Don't pull too hard until you are comfortable with the technique fundamentals.
How it works: The drive is the work portion of the stroke; the recovery is the rest portion that prepares you for the next drive. The body movements of the recovery are essentially the reverse of the drive. Blend these movements into a smooth continuum to create the rowing stroke.
Delve deeper into the intricacies of the Graston Technique with our Advanced Training course. Designed for practitioners who have completed the Essential Training and are looking to enhance their skills even further with in-depth knowledge, additional GT instrument strokes and techniques, coupled with specific body movement and weight bearing exercises.
Gain valuable insights and earn CEUs with our Short Courses. These bite-sized, focused courses are perfect for busy professionals looking to enhance their skills quickly and efficiently. Each course is designed to provide you with practical knowledge that you can immediately apply in your practice.
Join our expert-led webinars to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements and best practices in the Graston Technique. Engage with industry leaders, ask questions, and expand your professional knowledge from the comfort of your home. Our webinars are designed to provide you with actionable insights and strategies to improve your practice.
Application: The GT1 instrument is expertly designed for evaluating and treating soft tissue restrictions over larger surface areas. It excels in treating specific soft tissue restrictions with its specialized knobs.
Application: The GT2 instrument is expertly crafted for evaluating and treating convex-shaped soft tissue with its curved treatment surface. It excels in treating specific soft tissue restrictions with its specialized knobs.
Description: The GT2 features one single and one double-bevel edge, along with two convex knobs. This versatile design ensures precise treatment and effective scanning of smaller muscle groups.
Application: The GT6 instrument is specifically designed for evaluating and treating carpal tunnel, digits, and specific localized soft tissue restrictions with its treatment tip or hook.
The SCAT approach uses standardized terminology to document shoreline oiling conditions. SCAT is designed to support decision-making for shoreline cleanup. It is flexible in its scale of surveys and in the detail of datasets collected.
SCAT teams include people trained in the techniques, procedures, and terminology of shoreline assessment. Teams should include people with knowledge and experience in oil and oil cleanup techniques, geomorphology, ecology, and in some cases, archeology. Members of a SCAT team may include federal representatives (usually from the NOAA Scientific Support Team or U.S. Coast Guard), state representatives, a representative of the responsible party, and possibly the landowner or other stakeholders. A SCAT coordinator directs the activities of the SCAT teams from the command post and coordinates with people working on other aspects of the response.
SCAT teams use a collaborative, consensus-building approach to collect data. SCAT team members also prepare field maps and forms detailing the area surveyed and make specific cleanup recommendations designed to meet cleanup goals and objectives. Later, SCAT teams verify cleanup effectiveness, modifying guidelines as needed if conditions change. Although they coordinate with division supervisors in the area, they do not direct cleanup workers.
SCAT teams collect the data needed to develop a shoreline cleanup plan that maximizes the recovery of oiled habitats and resources, while minimizing the risk of injury from cleanup efforts. The team's responsibilities include the following:
Shoreline Assessment Job Aid: This job aid was developed for use in the field and to supplement the manual, providing a visual guide to many of the terms used and conditions found during shoreline assessments.
Shoreline Assessment Forms: These are standard forms you can download, print out, and then use to record your observations during a shoreline survey following an oil spill. Different forms have been developed for different habitats and types of oiling (e.g., coastal, river, wetland, tarball oiling, etc.).
A Response Guide for Sunken Oil Mats (SOMs) [PDF, 6.2 MB]: Sunken oil mats (SOMs) can form near the shoreline under a range of circumstances and present unique and difficult challenges in oil spill response. This response guide examines how SOMs have formed in a variety of marine, estuarine, and fresh water environments; reviews a collection of spill incidents that included SOMs; and outlines factors for the formation of these oil deposits, survey methods to detect them, and effective methods to recover them.
A tip to keep your hands and counter clean: wet your hands often with water, pausing periodically through the kneading process. Keeping them mostly nonstick will help avoid excessive dough tearing. Additionally, use a plastic scraper to occasionally stop and scrape the counter clean, reincorporating any stuck bits back into the mass (you can see me do this in the video below).
The slap and fold kneading technique, also called French fold, is a method for strengthening bread dough (and, more specifically, the gluten in bread dough) during the mixing phase before the start of bulk fermentation.
You can slap and fold for a few minutes after incorporating just the flour, water, and sourdough, then add the salt and withheld water and do another slap and fold until strengthened to the desired amount. Or, you can slap and fold only once before the salt or after everything is incorporated. This is up to you and your preference.
Excessive dough hydration can make the slap and fold process a little messier and sometimes even very difficult. If your dough is highly hydrated, it can help to split mixing up into stages or even do a bassinage type mix, slowly adding water through the mix to avoid a very sloppy dough in the beginning.
For instance, hold back some of the mixing water and begin slap and fold without the reserved water. Once the dough builds some strength, add a little more to the dough in the mixing bowl and continue strengthening in a second slap and fold session on the counter.
In the image above, you can see the quick fold over after the slap and stretch. This motion folds the dough into a tight little package, picked up again at the right side with the pincher grip, repeating the process.
The technique is simple enough: set a timer (tomato shape not required) for some amount of time, usually twenty-five minutes, and work on one specific task until the timer beeps. Hear the beep, take a five-minute break. Rinse, repeat. After four blocks of time, or four so-called pomodoros, take an extended break lasting fifteen to thirty minutes.
Before, my work time resembled a meandering path: a dozen or so minutes spent transcribing a nineteenth-century text in Zotero, another dozen flipping back and forth between the text and a recent news article, a few following an unexpected lead from my source, and a couple here and there replying to emails. After thirty minutes had passed, I would notice that I had written more words in my emails than I had transcribed in my notes. With this new technique, I feel better equipped to prioritize my time. Less urgent tasks, emails in particular, receive their own time slots later in the day, when I feel the least productive.
Once infrequent, breaks now feature prominently in my schedule. While five minutes may not feel like much, that time allows me to decompress and readjust. Longer breaks, say a half-hour, provide welcome opportunities to stretch my legs. Perhaps more importantly, these breaks let me spend time with my dog, Lulu, who firmly believes that all breaks should include leisurely walks. She just might be right.
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