The Pomodoro Technique: Get More Done


Ever felt like you can’t be productive? That’s how I used to feel most of the time that was supposed to be “productive”. Out of a 2-hour session, the first 1 and a ½ hour is unproductive.  The sudden urge to check Facebook, Reddit, or just move around take up most of the time. And the number of hours didn’t matter that much when trying to be productive: It is the same result every time, the actual time I spent working is an insignificant portion of the time I’m supposed to.

Pomodoro tries to change that, by breaking the time down into chunks and breaks.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a Pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.

Idea

The idea is fairly simple: to break down the available amount of time into more manageable sized chunks, to improve productivity.  This improves focus and divides your taste into manageable chunks. Another idea of the Pomodoro technique is that by taking regular breaks and working for a fixed, relatively short amount of time with full intensity on one specific task, you’ll be able to focus much better and avoid getting distracted. This will boost your productivity exponentially.

The Steps to take: According to the official website, these steps are the necessities:

Choose a task you'd like to get done

Something big, something small, something you’ve been putting off for a million years: it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s something that deserves your full, undivided attention.


Set the Pomodoro for 25 minutes

Get a timer ready for 25 minutes. But, before you hit start, make sure you commit to what will come next. Make a small oath to yourself: I will spend 25 minutes on this task and I will not interrupt myself. You can do it! After all, it’s just 25 minutes.

Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings

Immerse yourself in the task for the next 25 minutes. If you suddenly realize you have something else you need to do, write the task down as a reminder, and get back into focus.

When the Pomodoro rings, put a Checkmark on a Paper

Congratulations! You’ve spent an entire, interruption-less Pomodoro on a task. Make a checkmark on the notepad to keep a tally of how many cycles you’ve completed. you’ll likely be surprised to see the volume you’re able to accomplish when you focus for 25 minutes straight

Take a short break

Breathe, meditate, grab a cup of coffee, go for a short walk or do something else relaxing (i.e., not work-related). Your brain will thank you later. This is your time. Once the five minutes has ended, with the same level of zeal used to get through the first 25 minutes, end your short break and get back to work.

 Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

Once you’ve completed four pomodoros, you can take a longer break. A 20 minutes is good. Or 30. Your brain will use this time to assimilate new information and rest before the next round of pomodoros. Enjoy — you earned it!

Using the Pomodoro timer effectively: There are a few extra precautions and tricks to your productivity to the next level:

Being distraction-free:

This cannot be emphasized enough: distractions will bring you down in a big way and leave you feeling less productive. Keep your phone on silent and keep it in the next room. Keep a water bottle next to you, you are not going to interrupt your flow.

Planning:

If you feel like you can’t finish your tasks or 25 min is too much: this is cause you haven’t planned. We must make sure that 25 minutes is enough time to finish the task we set out. And You have to be more specific! Answering e-mails can be a task that takes 5 minutes, 2 hours, or a half-life.

Customizing:

At the end of the day, the Pomodoro technique is a tool to help you. The break time, the intervals, and the periods of focus can all be changed to what suits you best. Feel like the timer interrupts your flow? Increase your Pomodoro time to 50 min. But just make sure to take short breaks in between and recharge your focus at this time.

Now you are all set to improve your focus and productivity and hopefully get 40 hours worth of work!

Written By - Joshua

Edited By - Vaibhav Sharma