Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 15 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Pomodoro Technique
— From The Pomodoro Technique (website). The book The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work by Francesco Cirillo (U.S. edition) was just published a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to read it.
Some of you have asked me how I am able to read as much as I read and write blog posts on a daily basis, plus focus on my work and do the many things that I do without going crazy.
Well, the crazy part does happen sometimes (just ask my husband…), but the productivity and effectiveness I owe to a well-known technique called Pomodoro.
Pomodoro means tomato in Italian. The Pomodoro Technique was invented by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. He was a college student back then, and had a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato. Thus, he gave the name of pomodoro to his technique for interval-studying/working with a timer.
The technique is so simple that it’s hard to believe it works, but it’s incredibly effective for focusing, concentrating, tracking and saving time. Cirillo writes, “[The Pomodoro Technique is] a revolutionary time management system, it is at once deceptively simple to learn and life-changing to use.”
Yes, I agree. Believe me, life-changing is not an exaggeration. And not just for me: some of the most productive people I know use the technique or some variation that works for them.
Here’s how it works:
- Choose a task you’d like to get done. I always have next to me a piece of paper. In it I write down the task I’m going to work on: “in the next pomodoro I am going to do X.” X for me can be reading, writing, working, doing research on the internet, finishing a bunch of little tasks that I group together, etc. Then I turn off the phone, all notifications from my computer and social media, remove all possible distractions and have a glass of water (or a cup of tea) by my side.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes. Focus on working on your task without interruption. It’s only 25 minutes, so it’s not a hard thing to do. Cirillo states, “Usually, you can afford to take 25 minutes before calling back a friend or replying to an email. You’ll learn how to handle the inevitable interruption while staying focused on the task at hand.”
- Work on that task until the timer rings. Note that as you work on your chosen task, many things will pop in your mind. I write them down on my piece of paper as they surface, so that I don’t forget them later, and quickly shift my focus back to working on the task I chose for this interval. When the timer rings, reflect it on the piece of paper. Some people write a checkmark, I like to cross out little circles that I draw on my piece of paper. I pretend they’re tomatoes.
- Take a short break. Cirillo writes, “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.” What I usually do is get up and walk around for 5 min, go get myself more water or tea, stretch, make a phone call, etc. I recently started doing a few jumping jacks and pushups or squats during the breaks (might as well make the breaks count towards my goal of 100 pushups…).
- Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer break. 20-30 minutes works well. Dedicate that time to clear your mind. Cirillo says, “Your brain will use this time to assimilate new information and rest before the next round of Pomodoros.” I keep (or take with me) the piece of paper if I go somewhere during this longer break, because usually ideas and thoughts will keep popping up, so I can take action on them during this break (e.g. make a phone call to set up an appointment) or later on.
And this is it. Super simple indeed, but if you use it, you’ll become tremendously effective. And you can also modify it to suit whatever you are doing. Play with the focus and break times to find what serves you best. I sometimes do 45-50 minute pomodoros followed by a 10-15 min break if I know the task I have in front of me will take me longer than 25 minutes.
Pomodoros are wonderful to measure the amount of time that something takes to complete, as well as to see how much time I dedicated to each task at the end of the day.
There are plenty of physical and online timers that you can use. Give this technique a shot and I’m sure you’ll be hooked on it as much as I am. Highly recommended.
And if you’d like to learn more productivity techniques and hacks to achieve your goals, my program Achieve in 90 is starting on October 3rd. I’d love to have you join our wonderful group and focus on finishing your chosen goals before the end of the year.
ACTION
TODAY: Set up 30 minutes in your schedule to try out a 25 min pomodoro followed by a quick 5 min break and see how you like it.
FUTURE: Create the habit of incorporating pomodoros in your professional and personal time. You’ll be so much more effective and save a lot of time. You’ll also become more aware of how you spend your time.
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