Let's think about tomatoes instead of hours. Sounds funny? Millions of individuals have fervently endorsed the 𝗣𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲, praising its remarkable capacity to revolutionize their productivity and lifestyle. (𝗣𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼 means 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼 in Italian. 🍅)
This well-liked time management approach suggests you switch between pomodoros - concentrated work sessions - and short breaks often to keep up focus and avoid mental tiredness.
Francesco Cirillo, a student, developed the Pomodoro Technique in the late 1980s. He was having trouble focusing on his studies and finishing tasks. Feeling overwhelmed, he challenged himself to just 10 minutes of focused study time. Motivated by the challenge, he found a tomato shaped kitchen timer, and that's how the technique started.
1️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿.
2️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀.
3️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱.
4️⃣ 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲.
5️⃣ 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘀, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭𝟱-𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸.
A Pomodoro practice also includes three guidelines for making the most of each interval of 25 minutes.
𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹: If a task needs more than four pomodoros, break it into smaller, doable steps. This ensures clear progress on your projects.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀: Any tasks that will take less than one pomodoro should be grouped with other simple tasks. For example, "check project charter," and "schedule a meeting with customer in outlook" could be done together in one session.
𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼: The pomodoro is an unbreakable unit of time and should not be interrupted, not to check emails, team chats, or text. Any ideas, tasks, or requests that come up should be noted to revisit later.
In case of an unavoidable interruption, take your five-minute break and start over. The method suggests tracking interruptions as they happen and thinking about how to avoid them in your next session.
The rule applies even if you finish your task before the timer goes off. Use the extra time for additional learning, or improving skills or knowledge. For instance, you could spend the extra time reading a technical article.
Do you feel like the technique is remarkably straightforward, that's because it is. It's a simple technique to get your mind focused to complete your tasks.