The Pomodoro Technique ๐
This method includes managing time in 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of breaks.
โFor many people, time is an enemy. The anxiety triggered by โthe ticking clockโ, in particular, when a deadline is involved, leads to ineffective work, which in turn elicits the tendency to procrastinate.โ1
This bold statement is how Francesco Cirillo opened up his book, The Pomodoro Technique.
โThe Pomodoro Technique was created with the aim of using time as a valuable ally to accomplish what we want to do the way we want to do it, and to empower us to continually improve our work or study processes.โ
ย "Pomodoro" is the Italian word for "tomato."
This method includes managing time in 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of breaks. After extensive experimentation and trials, Cirillo determined the "ideal Pomodoro" to be 20โ35.ย ย
Here are some examples of when you may want to use the Pomodoro technique:
When you have a large task to complete, and you are finding it difficult to focus.
When you are feeling overwhelmed with work and need to break it down into manageable chunks.
When you have trouble with procrastination and need to hold yourself accountable.
When you are easily distracted by notifications or other interruptions.
When you need to balance multiple tasks or projects and prioritise your time.
To get started, you will need one timer (you can use the timer on your phone) and two lists: A to-do list and a Pomodoro schedule.
To-do list
This list includes all the tasks and activities you want to get done now or in the future. This is an exhaustive list that never ends as you tick tasks off and add new ones. It could look like this:
Work on the blog post
Conduct research
Organise the bills
Cancel subscriptions
Catch up on emails
Outline presentation structure
Pomodoro schedule
After reviewing your To-do list, you decide which tasks to complete today. Consider each task and assess how many pomodoris itโll take to complete it. Decide on the time required to complete each task and mark it by using a little tomato ๐ or simply by a number (each ๐ or a number represents 25 minutes):
Work on the blog post (2 pomodori) ๐ ๐
Conduct research (1 pomodori) ๐
Outline presentation structure (4 pomodori) ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
In the beginning, estimating the time could be difficult. But the more you use this technique, the easier itโll become for you to get the hang of it.ย
Benefits of the Pomodoro technique
If youโre about to take on a task that will take you 4 hours to complete, youโre most likely to prioritise Netflix instead.ย
When we face massive tasks, we naturally start prioritising random unimportant tasks like reorganising kitchen cupboards or offering to help colleagues with their tasks. Which makes little or no sense, but it does happen. (or is it just me?๐)ย ย
The idea of sitting down for 25 minutes at a time is less daunting than thinking to yourself - โIโve got to work on my course materialsโ whilst planning the whole afternoon for it.ย
Plus, even if you only used the Pomodoro method for two cycles of 25 minutes, youโll feel satisfied that you have made progress on your work instead of derailing your efforts due to the task size.ย
Productivity has a lot to do with being smart about what you work on, strategic about how you manage your time and energy, and using tricks you use to stop yourself from procrastinating.ย
โ ๏ธ Breaks are not optional.
After the timer gives you a nudge after the first 25-minute interval, you might feel tempted to continue and skip the 5-minute break. So you need to hear this! Breaks are not optional. To maintain good concentration, focus, and energy, you need to take a short time to relax and distract yourself from the task.ย
Let yourself enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and allow your mind to recalibrate.ย
By repeating the action of working for 25 minutes and then allowing yourself to take 5 5-minute break, you show your mind that it only needs to focus for short periods. This not only increases your productivity but also helps with your motivation.ย
Some struggles you may face when using the Pomodoro technique include:
It may be challenging to stay focused during the 25-minute work intervals.
It can be difficult to resist the temptation to check your phone or other distractions during short breaks.
It may take some time to adjust to working in shorter intervals and breaking up larger tasks.
You may need to experiment with the length of the work intervals and break times to find what works best for you.
โTake care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselvesโ โ LORD CHESTERFIELD
Your action for this week is to try out the Pomodoro technique.ย
Even If you've tried the Pomodoro technique before, let me know how it worked out for you.