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Easy bread for the busy boffin by 0014 (@becausesubmissionsarebroke)

Listen up!

Want that delicous taste of homemade bread but dont have the time or skill to devote to it? Ever start something then go on a 12 hr binge and forget about it? Well this is the bread for you!

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon instant yeast

1 ½ cups room temperature water

Slam all those bad boys into a bowl and mix well. Now I’ve had this dough look a little wet and ive made this with the dough looking a little dry. Both turn out fine, but if you’re nervous add a couple tablespoons of water to the dry dough. Take some plastic wrap and cover the top of the bowl. Bam! Go work on whatever you need to. Let that puppy sit for at least 12 hrs but you can leave it for longer if you forget about it. I’ve left it for up to 20+ hrs in the past, whatever your feeling is fine. Once you remember about your dough heat the oven to 450° F or 232° C. Take a cookie sheet, pizza pan, a dutch oven or a cast iron pan (just something big enough for the dough) and grease it/coat with flour. Whatever you’ve got on hand, if you’re like me your cast iron pan is already seasoned so you dont need to add anything. Tip the dough out on to a surface that youve dumped a handful of flour on so it wont stick. Just use the same tool you used to mix the dough to pry it all out from the bowl. DONT KNEAD IT! Just shape it in a vaguely round shape, taking the rest of the flour and coating the outside so your fingers won’t stick to it. Slap that sucker into what ever you’re cooking it in. Once the oven is hot slide it in. Cook for ~45 mins until goldeny brown. If your oven is flakey like mine, keep it in there for ~1hr, test it by smacking it with the flat of a knife and if it sounds hollow its probably done. Pull it out and enjoy.

The Pomodoro Method is a great time management technique that a lot of people use and find to be helpful! I’ve used this method on and off for several years (usually around midterms and finals) and always enjoy using it!

The basic premise of this technique is to work for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break. Every 3 breaks you’re allowed to have a longer break of 15 minutes. Repeat this until your work is done.

So, what does this mean for you?

This method can be used for any type of tasks, it doesn’t have to be studying! You could also use this for any job-related work, cleaning, passion projects, anything you need or want to do!

Personally, I see this as a way to remind me to take breaks since I could just keep working for hours on end which just leads to burnout for me. The frequent reminder to take a break helps to keep things a little more balanced.

You could approach each 25 minute block as a way to separate which tasks you’re working on (for example, you could plan to work on one piece of homework for the first block, clean out your fridge for the second block, study for a test for the third block, etc.), or you could just work on each task until they’re done, taking breaks in the middle of tasks (for example, studying for a test might take 3.5 blocks, taking breaks every 25 minutes, then after you’ve finished you just move on to another task). Or you could do a combination of the two methods, whatever fits for you! I like breaking down larger tasks into smaller chunks so for me doing the first method works the best with interleaving.

Guidelines for blocks

These are just suggestions for helping to make each pomodoro block more productive, but you can customize your experience to fit your life and your tasks!

Put your phone/social media away! I use the app SelfControl on my laptop and the Forest app on my phone to keep myself on track and off of social media.

Have water and healthy snacks readily on hand so you don’t have to get up to get food in the middle of a block.

If you like to listen to music while working, put on music without vocals (or music that you’re really familiar with so you aren’t distracted by listening to the words). If you don’t like listening to music while working, then don’t! I like wearing earplugs if I’m not listening to music since to me it’s a signal that I need to focus and it helps keep me from getting distracted by other noises around me.

Try your best to single-task instead of multi-tasking. My favorite way to encourage myself to single-task is by only allowing myself to have 1-3 tabs open at a time (only more than one if I need them for the work I’m currently doing). Any other tabs are bookmarked if necessary and then closed.

Ideas for breaks

Prep a snack to have during your next block

Read a book that’s not related to school or work

Go for a short walk

Stretch, yoga, or do a short workout

Doodle

Listen to a guided meditation

Put on some of your favorite music (and dance around to it if possible!)

Change up where you’re working (go sit outside for your next block, find a different table, etc.)

Have a short phone call, text or conversation with a friend or family member

Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.”