I think many people would find this method useful, though it lacks a good name. So any improvements on Rational Breaks are welcome (and $100 if I use it!) The key concepts are:
Break—synonyms include rest, relax, stop, pause, chill
Fraction—synonyms include part, divide, scale, balance (kinda)
Flexible, though probably less important.
A good name would capture most of that in a memorable/catchy way—e.g. a pun, rhyme, alliteration or metaphor, and not too abstract/mathematical or long. It could be for the whole method, or for the breaks themselves.
Examples of other not-good-enough names include:
Fraction Breaks—explicit but mathematical
ClockWise, Breakout, TimeOut, BreakTime, Breakthrough, TimeScale etc. - semi-puns but vague & abstract
Breakaholic—negative connotations
Bonus Breaks—metaphor, but not that catchy
Just possibly it could be called Finn Breaks, after the inventor (as things often are!)
Non-serious suggestion: Fractional-reserve breaking (in analogy to fractional-reserve banking)
Serious suggestion: Liquid Breaks (since the duration of the next break is like a reservoir you are filling slowly, and you can drain it when you want. It also implies flexibility.)
a proposal that is related in meaning to Liquid Breaks would be organic breaks—I like some of the connotations (organic growth of e.g. trees has a lot of flexibility, while still following simple rules; the method (work:break ratio) can be organically adapted to the user and one’s current capacity)
Interesting. If ‘liquid break’ were already a phrase—meaning e.g. coffee break—it would work as a pun. I see what you mean by the metaphor, but it might be unclear to others. I’ll give it more thought, as there might be something similar.
Methinks, like Fraction Breaks, that falls into the category of names that are accurate, but probably too dry/mathematical for the popular appeal I’m hoping for!
I’d be surprised if there were many people who were otherwise into the concept but turned off by the word ratio but not by rational (which was chosen as a pun on ratio).
“Rationed breaks” could also work and is a bit “rounder”. It’s less mathematical, but the “ratio” root is still there, plus a hint of scarcity / frugality due to “rationing”. Also “to ration one’s time” is (I think? - non-native speaker here) a moderately common phrase?
Proportional Pausing. Or at a 4:1 ratio, Pareto Pausing. :) (80% work 20% rest)
Rest Ratio. Recovery Ratio (i.e., “Are you working to your recovery ratio?”) Flex recovery.
Break Budget, or perhaps a Balanced Break Budget. :) Flexible Break Account. Flexbreaking? Ugh.
WRR = Work/Recovery Ratio. Recovery Rhythm.
(In my group I’d call it Compass Breaking (vs. Clock Breaking), but that’d only work because of a pre-existing metaphor about these as referencing intuition/impulse/intrinsic motivation vs. rule-following/extrinsic motivation.)
Many thanks for the numerous name suggestions. After brainstorming about 200 more, and polling other people, I’ve finally settled on Third Time.
While various people here proposed purely descriptive names like Ratio Breaks, from previous experience names like that can seem generic and forgettable to many people. Third Time has the merit of a pun, which should make it more memorable and appealing to a wider audience, while still giving some idea of what to do. (Contrast Pomodoro, a non-generic but almost arbitrary name.)
I also asked GPT-3 for its name ideas, of which it came up with many, notably the witty Break O’Clock, Breaky Breaky, and Unwind (apparently a clever pun on taking a break and a kind-of-opposite of clockwork).
Additionally, I’ve renamed ‘extended meal break’ to ‘big break’, and ‘work/break ratio’ (e.g. 3) to ‘break fraction’ (e.g. 1⁄3).
Other than that I’ve slightly rewritten the post, and split out my detailed critique of Pomodoro-like systems to another post.
Third Time means ‘1/3 of the time’ (referring to break time = 1⁄3 of work time) and also ‘the 3rd occasion’. It’s only half a pun because ‘the 3rd occasion’ doesn’t refer to anything here, but it’s a common phrase like first time, second time etc. (E.g. ‘the first time I ate caviar I didn’t like it, nor the second time, but the third time I enjoyed it’.)
As for puns in the other names suggestions, there are too many to explain, I’m afraid!
I agree with the concept. It would help if it were a standard phrase, or used alliteration/rhyme/pun, to be more memorable/catchy though.
A similar name I thought of a while back was Well-Earned Breaks. This would have been ideal, as it’s a standard phrase in British English, meaning ‘a break you deserve for working hard’. But it turns out Americans don’t understand it.
Is it a common phrase in its own right, as it is here in the UK? Maybe it’s regional; my partner, from Chicago, didn’t recognise it, though she got the literal gist.
(ADDED) Actually I see some dictionaries list it (also e.g. ‘well-earned rest’) as a US phrase as well as UK:
Though from googling places it’s used, I get the impression it’s mostly British.
I think it has a nice, cozy emotion to it—like awarding yourself a prize each time you take a break (even after 3 minutes’ work!) I find it hard to say ‘well-earned break’ without smiling!
Personally I like something along the lines of Proportional Pomodoros or Flexible Pomodoros, simply because anchoring it to the already-familiar concept of pomodoros makes it immediately obvious what it is in my own personal notes, though maybe this wouldn’t be the best for mass market appeal.
I think many people would find this method useful, though it lacks a good name. So any improvements on Rational Breaks are welcome (and $100 if I use it!) The key concepts are:
Break—synonyms include rest, relax, stop, pause, chill
Fraction—synonyms include part, divide, scale, balance (kinda)
Flexible, though probably less important.
A good name would capture most of that in a memorable/catchy way—e.g. a pun, rhyme, alliteration or metaphor, and not too abstract/mathematical or long. It could be for the whole method, or for the breaks themselves.
Examples of other not-good-enough names include:
Fraction Breaks—explicit but mathematical
ClockWise, Breakout, TimeOut, BreakTime, Breakthrough, TimeScale etc. - semi-puns but vague & abstract
Breakaholic—negative connotations
Bonus Breaks—metaphor, but not that catchy
Just possibly it could be called Finn Breaks, after the inventor (as things often are!)
Non-serious suggestion: Fractional-reserve breaking (in analogy to fractional-reserve banking)
Serious suggestion: Liquid Breaks (since the duration of the next break is like a reservoir you are filling slowly, and you can drain it when you want. It also implies flexibility.)
“Liquid breaks” sounds like a music genre.
a proposal that is related in meaning to Liquid Breaks would be
organic breaks—I like some of the connotations (organic growth of e.g. trees has a lot of flexibility, while still following simple rules; the method (work:break ratio) can be organically adapted to the user and one’s current capacity)
Interesting. (Similarly I had thought of Natural Breaks before.)
Interesting. If ‘liquid break’ were already a phrase—meaning e.g. coffee break—it would work as a pun. I see what you mean by the metaphor, but it might be unclear to others. I’ll give it more thought, as there might be something similar.
“Ratio breaks.”
Methinks, like Fraction Breaks, that falls into the category of names that are accurate, but probably too dry/mathematical for the popular appeal I’m hoping for!
People usually know what ratios or fractions are. It seems fine to me!
And I’m a strong believer of naming things accurately first before optimizing cleverness.
I’d be surprised if there were many people who were otherwise into the concept but turned off by the word ratio but not by rational (which was chosen as a pun on ratio).
I’m not keen on either—Rational Breaks is merely provisional.
“Rationed breaks” could also work and is a bit “rounder”. It’s less mathematical, but the “ratio” root is still there, plus a hint of scarcity / frugality due to “rationing”. Also “to ration one’s time” is (I think? - non-native speaker here) a moderately common phrase?
Thanks—yes that’s a phrase, and indeed, ‘rationed breaks’ is already on my list of maybes.
Proportional Pausing. Or at a 4:1 ratio, Pareto Pausing. :) (80% work 20% rest)
Rest Ratio. Recovery Ratio (i.e., “Are you working to your recovery ratio?”) Flex recovery.
Break Budget, or perhaps a Balanced Break Budget. :) Flexible Break Account. Flexbreaking? Ugh.
WRR = Work/Recovery Ratio. Recovery Rhythm.
(In my group I’d call it Compass Breaking (vs. Clock Breaking), but that’d only work because of a pre-existing metaphor about these as referencing intuition/impulse/intrinsic motivation vs. rule-following/extrinsic motivation.)
Thanks, I’ll give these more thought.
Many thanks for the numerous name suggestions. After brainstorming about 200 more, and polling other people, I’ve finally settled on Third Time.
While various people here proposed purely descriptive names like Ratio Breaks, from previous experience names like that can seem generic and forgettable to many people. Third Time has the merit of a pun, which should make it more memorable and appealing to a wider audience, while still giving some idea of what to do. (Contrast Pomodoro, a non-generic but almost arbitrary name.)
I also asked GPT-3 for its name ideas, of which it came up with many, notably the witty Break O’Clock, Breaky Breaky, and Unwind (apparently a clever pun on taking a break and a kind-of-opposite of clockwork).
Additionally, I’ve renamed ‘extended meal break’ to ‘big break’, and ‘work/break ratio’ (e.g. 3) to ‘break fraction’ (e.g. 1⁄3).
Other than that I’ve slightly rewritten the post, and split out my detailed critique of Pomodoro-like systems to another post.
I’m not a native English speaker, can someone explain all these puns, including “Third Time” (I don’t understand what the point is).
Third Time means ‘1/3 of the time’ (referring to break time = 1⁄3 of work time) and also ‘the 3rd occasion’. It’s only half a pun because ‘the 3rd occasion’ doesn’t refer to anything here, but it’s a common phrase like first time, second time etc. (E.g. ‘the first time I ate caviar I didn’t like it, nor the second time, but the third time I enjoyed it’.)
As for puns in the other names suggestions, there are too many to explain, I’m afraid!
Earned Breaks—would put the focus on the emotional aspect of coupling the two lengths and would sound non-technical
I agree with the concept. It would help if it were a standard phrase, or used alliteration/rhyme/pun, to be more memorable/catchy though.
A similar name I thought of a while back was Well-Earned Breaks. This would have been ideal, as it’s a standard phrase in British English, meaning ‘a break you deserve for working hard’. But it turns out Americans don’t understand it.
Really? I’m American and it sounds perfectly normal to me.
Is it a common phrase in its own right, as it is here in the UK? Maybe it’s regional; my partner, from Chicago, didn’t recognise it, though she got the literal gist.
(ADDED) Actually I see some dictionaries list it (also e.g. ‘well-earned rest’) as a US phrase as well as UK:
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/well-earned
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-earned
Though from googling places it’s used, I get the impression it’s mostly British.
I think it has a nice, cozy emotion to it—like awarding yourself a prize each time you take a break (even after 3 minutes’ work!) I find it hard to say ‘well-earned break’ without smiling!
“Well-earned rest” is the standard idiom.
I’m on the East coast, and “well-earned” is definitely in the lexicon.
Generalized Pomodoros?
Personally I like something along the lines of Proportional Pomodoros or Flexible Pomodoros, simply because anchoring it to the already-familiar concept of pomodoros makes it immediately obvious what it is in my own personal notes, though maybe this wouldn’t be the best for mass market appeal.