Pomodoro Technique
A straightforward productivity strategy for your toolkit.
Hello Reader,
The pomodoro technique is an interval - reward productivity tool.
The strategy was designed by Francesco Cirillo when he was a student in the 1980s. He was looking to get more done in less time, so he decided to work for a sprint of focused attention and follow it up with a short, but well earned reward. Cirillo marked his intervals with his kitchen timer, which was in the form of a tomato, or as it is called in his native Italian, ‘pomodoro’. Thus the pomodoro technique was born.
How to
The premise of the tool is straightforward; we work for 25 minutes and then we reward ourselves with a 5 minute break. We then repeat the intervals until we have completed the project or finished our day of study / work.
Pros
Simple to understand, which makes it easier for us to implement into our lives.
The work-reward system provides motivation and structure, which definitely boosts our productivity.
Cons
For me, 25 minutes is too short. I found that I was repeatedly getting annoyed by the timer because I was still in the flow of work and not yet ready for a break.
The 5 minute break must also be timed and planned, because if it isn’t we can easily lose ourselves in the reward and go down a rabbit hole of sports highlight videos.
The system is rigid, in the sense that the 25 min intervals don't work for all types of work and tasks.
For the technique to be successful, we need a comprehensive idea of all the tasks on our plate so that we don’t spend the first couple of minutes of each interval faffing about as we decide what to do next.
My Adaptation
I have adapted the pomodoro technique to suit how I work.
Instead of applying specific intervals of 25 minutes, I prefer to work on a given task and then treat myself to a reward once I have finished. The task can take any length of time (2 min, 10 min, 30 min, 90 min), but once it is done, I treat myself to a corresponding reward.
If the task is long (greater than 3 hours) I will then use the original pomodoro technique, but work for 55 minute increments with a 5 minute break.
Forest App
App Option
The best app I found to help me with the Pomodoro Technique is called Forest. This app allows us to select a time interval to work for, and then they will plant a tree upon completion of our focused attention. This reward is brilliant and stimulates motivation -although beware, if you don’t complete the time, the tree will wither.
Happy doings!
Helping Young Professionals and Postgraduate Students Improve