Productivity experts out there likely know the Pomodoro Technique well. The time management method invented by Italian Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. While attending university, Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer set for 25-minute uninterrupted work intervals. Each interval then followed by a five-minute break. The Pomodoro Technique has proven its efficacy in the decades since. Paddler Beau Miles may have taken productivity hacks to a new level though, as he used a Pomodoro-type Technique of his own to tackle two daunting endeavors: renovating an old canoe while running a marathon.
Renovating An Old Canoe While Running A Marathon
This isn’t the first time Miles has teamed tedious tasks with long-distance running to appear to be the most productive human being on earth. In 2018, Miles completed another version of the endeavor. Miles would run one lap around his mile-long block. Then work at one household task on his to-do list until the next hour. Fans seemed to be enthralled with Miles’ accomplishment. The video Miles published following his last 24-hour marathon has received more than 4.5 million views. Not to mention, less than two years later, we’d all be at home, online, looking for ways to keep ourselves busy and sane.
With the success of the previous productivity marathon, Miles has returned with a new mission, melding two accomplishments many of us in the outdoors romanticize—running a marathon and restoring an old canoe. Miles sets off to prove both items on your bucket list can be accomplished in little more than a day.
This time, the paddler sets out to complete his marathon with laps around his property. The most entertaining aspect for you canoe aficionados is the worn-out, yellow livery boat in his possession. Over the course of the day, Miles ticks off miles while renovating the canoe. Each hour, he goes from stripping the boat down to the bones, sanding it, and rebuilding yokes and seats. Miles ends up with a seaworthy canoe, all while making the rest of our days look flat-out lazy.
Beau Miles’ short film Bad River is an official selection of the 2023 Paddling Film Festival and available to stream today as part of the festival’s Virtual Program.
