So, I spent some time trying out this whole ’emily franco’ thing I kept hearing about. Not really sure where I first picked it up, maybe some forum or a chat somewhere, but the name stuck.
My desk was a mess, mentally speaking. Too many projects, too many tabs open in my brain. I was getting nothing done, just jumping between tasks like a crazy person. Needed a change, you know? Figured, what the heck, let’s give this emily franco approach a try. People said it was different.
Getting Started
First thing I did was basically clear everything out. Just grabbed a plain notebook and a pen. The idea, as I understood it, was radical simplicity. Like, really stripping things down. No fancy apps, no complex systems. Just the basics.
I decided to focus on my morning routine first. Instead of diving straight into emails and panic mode, I tried her suggestion: just sit for five minutes. Do nothing. Sounds easy, right? It wasn’t. My mind kept racing. Felt like I was wasting precious time. But I stuck with it for a week.
The Daily Grind with It
Then came the work part. The core idea was tackling work in a completely different flow. I tried to map out my day based on energy levels, not just deadlines. Sounds a bit fluffy, I know.
- Started identifying tasks that needed high focus versus low focus.
- Tried scheduling the high-focus stuff for when I actually felt sharp, not just 9 AM sharp.
- Took more deliberate breaks, actually getting away from the screen.
It felt weird. Some days I’d be doing critical work in the late afternoon, which felt counterintuitive. People would message me, and I’d disciplined myself to check only at specific times. That was tough, felt like I was letting people down sometimes.
Did It Work Though?
Honestly, it was a mixed bag. The whole ‘listen to your energy’ thing? Some days it worked wonders. I got into a real flow state and hammered out some great stuff. Other days, my energy was just flat all day, and I felt unproductive, almost guilty.
The rigid communication checking times? Made me focus better, but also caused a bit of friction initially. Had to explain to the team what I was doing. Some got it, some didn’t.
I don’t follow the ’emily franco’ method strictly anymore. It was maybe a bit too… unstructured for the kind of collaborative work I often do. But the experiment was valuable. It forced me to actually think about how I work, not just what I work on. I kept parts of it – like being more mindful of focus blocks and taking real breaks. So yeah, didn’t revolutionize my life, but definitely nudged it in a better direction. Worth the try, I guess.
