The Pomodoro Technique can help you power through distractions and get things done while taking frequent breaks.
Video by BetterThanYesterday
Key Takeaways
We procrastinate because we believe that a project or task is too big to finish. But when you break that huge task into 25 minute segments, it becomes easily achievable.
The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. If you don’t know, “Pomodoro” is Italian for tomato. Cirillo used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato as his personal timer when he was a university student, and thus the method’s name.
The technique can help you power through distractions and get things done while taking frequent breaks. Best of all, it’s probably one of the simplest productivity methods to implement since all you need is a timer.
Here’s how to get started with Pomodoro:
1. Choose a task to be accomplished.
2. Set the timer to 25 minutes and work until the timer rings.
3. Take a 5 minute break and restart the task.
4. Take a longer break every 4 Pomodoro sessions.
1. Choose A Task To be Accomplished
When choosing the task you want to accomplish, make sure it’s just one task.
If you want to study, don’t check your phone or browse Facebook at the same time. You don’t want to decrease your productivity by working on five things at once. Multitasking isn’t effective.
Do what you can to minimize interruptions and make sure that everything you don’t need is put away before you begin. Shut your office door, turn off your phone and close all unnecessary websites.
Also prepare everything you need for the task at hand, as it will mess with your focus if you run around looking for things that you might need. Like a cooking chef, get all your “ingredients” ready.
Another thing you would want to have at hand is a notepad and a pen. When you’re working, your mind might wander off a bit. It’s not uncommon to suddenly remember that you need to take out the trash, call your friend before lunch etc..
- Don’t allow yourself to become distracted if ideas or thoughts about other things pop into your head. Write them down on your notepad and set them aside for later. For now, focus on your set task.
2. Set the timer to 25 minutes and work until the timer rings.
Time to start the timer. You don’t actually need to go out and buy a special tomato shaped kitchen timer. The countdown app built into your smartphone, will do.
When setting a time, it doesn’t have to be exactly 25 minutes either. The creator of the technique used it for 25, but for you it might be more productive, if you set the timer for 20 or maybe 30 minutes.
- Experiment with session lengths and find what works best for you. After all, the technique is not set in stone and should be customized to YOUR length of focus, before YOU need a break.
- For me, the Pomodoro technique is just a way of breaking that mental resistance we often have before starting something. That’s why I use it to get the wheel rolling. It’s hard for me to get started, but I find it super easy to keep on going.
- For that reason I’ll often find myself still hammering away at a task, after the timer already buzzed. When I start losing focus, that’s when I’ll take a break.
3. Take a 5 minute break and restart the task.
Each focus session is one “Pomodoro.” When you complete one session, you take a five-minute break before starting a new one.
However, this may not suit everyone. Some people might find regular short breaks too distracting, especially if they come at times when inspiration is flowing.
Like I said, I often just continue my session without stopping. What you do during the break is also completely up to you.
- Get a glass of water to stay hydrated, go the bathroom if you need to or do something from your to-do list.
- Personally I always stretch, because the stiffness from sitting in a chair starts killing me otherwise.
When your break is over, reset your timer for the next session and continue your work.
4. Take a longer break every 4 Pomodoro sessions.
When you’ve completed four Pomodoro sessions, take a 20 to 30 minute break. Use it to have lunch, go for a walk or read a book. Anything works, as long as it takes you away from your desk for a while and clears your mind of what you were doing before.
The goal of Pomodoro technique is to help you get into the zone and focus, but it’s also to remind you to come up for air.
It can also help you find your sweet spot, since tracking your completed Pomodoros can help you understand how you’re spending your time. You can pinpoint the times during the day when you are most likely to focus properly and times when you struggle to get things done. That way you can adjust the way you work.
- And I’ll be honest, I rarely complete all 4 Pomodoro sessions. Since I usually keep on going after the timer rings, my one session is usually way longer than 25 minutes and there is no need to do multiple sessions.
- Also sometimes I’m just having a bad day or I’m feeling lazy and I’ll only complete one 25 minute session and call it a day.
- To me, maintaining the habit is more important, than the length of time spent on the task. Even if I only did one 25 minute session, I still accomplished something that day and didn’t break my habit.