A Superior Alternative to Pomodoro Timers You’ve Likely Not Seen Before
And superior alternatives to “3 sets of 8–12 reps” and “bulking + cutting” — Plus, insights on Faith, Practical Prayer, and Intelligence
Welcome to the 15th edition of the Manximize-360° newsletter — packed with actionable insights on fitness, productivity, and 360° self-growth. Plus, free access to my best articles, book picks, and more.
I first sent this to my 7500+ subscribers a week ago. To get these editions fresh in your inbox, subscribe here.
At A Glance…
- Story Spotlight: 3 Profoundly Deep Books That Actually Rewired My Mind.
- Proven Productivity: A Superior + Flexible Alternative To Pomodoro Timers.
- Excellence Epiphanies: On Intelligence, Faith, and Practical Prayer.
- Fitness Findings: Superior Alternatives to “3 Sets of 8–12 Reps” and “Bulking + Cutting”.
- Bonus: A Crucial Book for Lasting + Long-Term Success.
Story Spotlight
Books that will transform your thoughts, actions, and hence — life itself:
Proven Productivity — The #1 Problem With Pomodoro
25 minutes of work. 5 minutes of break. Repeat.
On paper, Pomodoro sounds genius — and can be a good way to work, study, or research.
But this has a glaring 2-pronged problem:
- Once/if you get into Flow, you don’t want a break — and the upcoming 5-minute break will only prove a distraction.
- If you’re distracted while working, you need a break to reset — but that ruins the 25–5 structure.
Common in both is a rigidity problem.
The solution is a flexible version of Pomodoro — with customization options:
- Download and install the free Sukha app.
- Create an account and join a group. The Sukha homepage has the instructions.
- Go to Settings → Session Timer → Break Timers → Set up Work and Break durations.
- When working, start The Sukha timer — here’s where the magic happens.
- If you need a break anytime, click on “Take A Break”.
- If the planned break kicks in but you are in Flow and want to continue working, just click on “End Break”
This flexible Pomodoro style of working has been a game-changer for me…
In some sprints, I work 2–3 hours in a row without breaks. Sometimes, I need breaks within 10–15 mins. But The Sukha handles it all.
P.S. I’m not affiliated with or sponsored by The Sukha — I regularly use and love the app. Hence, I’m recommending the same.
The Momentum browser extension, flexible Pomodoro timer apps, or even a physical stop-watch or alarm clock can work too…
All we want to do is work in a flexible Pomodoro style — how you do it is up to you.
Excellence Epiphanies
3 of my (or borrowed) best pithy (or not) insights on holistic 360° excellence
#1 — The Critical Inversion Worth Embracing
Of late, I’ve been chewing on the epiphanic words of a Vipassana friend of mine:
“You observe the world and cut yourself with your intellect.
Instead, do the opposite…
Observe yourself and dissect the world with your intellect.”
Incredible advice — for all my overthinking intelligent brethren out there.
#2 — The Incredible Power Of Faith
Faith is conviction in a higher power — be it God, the universe, nature, Dharma, or Karma.
“Faith is unseen but felt, faith is strength when we feel we have none, faith is hope when all seems lost.”
— Catherine Pulsifer
The beauty of Faith is — it makes Letting Go(d) easier.
Even the best of us can’t control everything in our (loved ones’) lives. Holding onto control only worsens things:
- The intense anxiety of future planning and anticipation.
- The stress of past unpleasant events and/or “bad” happenings.
Develop and strengthen your Faith…
Let Go and Let God.
#3 — The One Prayer I’m Recalling and Repeating Daily
Prayer isn’t just for spiritual or religious folks…
It’s for the uber-practical too — a way of invoking positive intention and relief. It’s a Placebo on steroids.
The Serenity Prayer is perfect for it:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.”
As one Tweet put it beautifully:
Fitness Findings
2 non-cliche fitness insights I’ve stumbled upon (or found/recalled) recently.
Finding #1 — A Superior Alternative to 3 Sets of 8–12 Reps
Doing 3 sets of 8–12 reps is likely harming your gains. I wrote about it already.
But I’ve since found an even better alternative. For every exercise…
- Perform one heavy all-out set of 5–8 reps — with excellent form mind you.
- Follow it up with a backoff set with a lighter weight for 10–15 reps — after a 1–3 minute rest.
This works incredibly well as — you get to go all-out AND you get volume in with the backoff set. Plus, this covers all rep ranges — while taking much less time.
Try it out and let me know how it goes.
Finding #2 — Forget Bulking & Cutting. Try This Instead.
Bulk for 6–12 months. Cut for 2–3 months. Repeat…
This cliche is a torturous loop that’s neither enjoyable nor effective.
For lasting stable long-term progress (without fluctuations):
- Lean bulk for 3–5 years — with a 100–150 daily calorie surplus and “mini-cuts” whenever necessary.
- Cut for 6–8 weeks every 3–5 years — again, with a small daily calorie deficit (~250–400).
- After 2–3 cycles of the above 2, just maintain. You’d have achieved your dream physique by then.
If you’re overweight or “skinny-fat”, lose the fat (sustainably) first — The Ultimate No-BS Fat-Loss Bundle covers the same (+ advanced science-based tricks).
Click Here If You’re Interested In Knowing More About The Ultimate No-BS Fat-Loss Bundle
Yes, this will be “slower” — but far more enjoyable and you’ll never feel like you’re dieting or torturing yourself.
The best part?
You get to stay in peak lean shape year-round — as I have for 3+ years now.
Bonus — A Crucial Book For Lasting Success
Ego Is The Enemy.
The sentence was running in my head — ever since my spiritual “awakening” of sorts (thanks to Vipassana).
And I finally got around to grabbing the book.
In a world where everyone is preaching “Shoot for The Stars!”, and “You’re Meant for Great Things!”…
It’s easy to develop a massive Ego — either during/after some “success” — and end up spiraling (back) down.
The key to sustaining success is ditching the Ego — and that’s where this book comes in.
I’m still part-way into it but I’m already loving it — hope you do too.
3 More Ways I Can Serve and Be of Value to You
Phew! This is by far Manximize’s most value-packed edition — and I loved putting it together. Hope you loved reading it.
Here are 3 more ways I can serve and provide value to you:
- My Self-Proven 1-On-1 Coaching/Consultation: From beating procrastination to finding true love to building your dream body, I can help with everything I’ve already achieved — minus the trial, error, and frustration.
- The Ultimate No-BS Fat-Loss Bundle: The best all-around solution for lasting and enjoyable fat-loss — no need for brutal workouts, extreme dieting, or costly pills.
- Free Guidance On Twitter/𝕏: Questions, doubts, problems, challenges — whatever it is, DM me on Twitter. I’ll be happy to help you out.
Godspeed and Cheers!,
Neeramitra Reddy
Like What You Just Read? Join 7500+ Others Receiving Manximize-360° on the 1st and 15th of Every Month.
