A Beginner’s Guide to The Pomodoro Technique: How to improve your time management skills, and productivity, enjoy efficient work habits, meet deadlines, and get work done with a life-changing, simple-to-learn time management system that will transform how we work.
Always wonder where all your time goes? Not enough time for your daily tasks? Overwhelmed with a huge to-do list? Worry no more!
If you’re a serial procrastinator or if you haven’t heard /tried the Pomodoro Technique yet, this article is just for you.
Is the Pomodoro Technique for you too? Let’s find out!
To put it simply, I’ll just break down the basic information of the article. You may check if the technique is worth trying out.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
Ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique, one of the best time management techniques used by most successful people around the world?
If you’ve already done even a single bit of research on self-improvement or productivity life hacks, you’ve probably heard of the Pomodoro Technique. It is undoubtedly one of the best time management hacks introduced ever. Not everyone would love the technique, of course, for there are people who criticize the technique. Yet the majority find the Pomodoro Technique, their lifesaver!
Let’s talk a bit about the history of the Pomodoro Technique first. It was introduced back in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. He named the technique Pomodoro, after the tomato-shaped timer that was used by him for tracking his work as a university student. Actually “Pomodoro” was named after the Italian term for tomato. Since then, this technique has been widely used in terms of self-improvement and productivity.
Let’s dive into the theory behind the Pomodoro Technique.
“Any task can be broken down into short-timed intervals called ‘Pomodors.’ Each is separated by a short break.”
Simply it says that for every task throughout the day, you’ll be dividing your time into short increments and having short breaks periodically.
What makes this idea more effective is the fact that our brains have limited attention spans.
How to use the Pomodoro Technique?
You will need only a timer, pen, and paper. Either go old-fashioned and use a timer to just use a timer app on your pc or mobile phone. To put it simply I’ve included a video at the end of the article so that you can use it as a timer too. There are plenty of apps that you can use on your Android or iOS device.
The process of the Pomodoro Technique has the following steps.
Step #1 – Choose a task or a series of tasks that you need to accomplish
Come up with an idea of something small, something big, something that you’ve been putting off for many days, because of many reasons. It really doesn’t matter. It should be something that deserves your attention and commitment, something that is really worth doing.
Make a small to-do list or a timetable. Include all the things that you have to do today and divide the work into smaller parts of 25 minutes. The importance of a timetable is that it sets a limit. It gives you the motivation to complete a certain task within a defined period of time. Depict your free time and work time within this timetable. Dividing all your tasks will allow you to identify the potential within you to achieve small goals.
Step #2 – Set the timer to 25 minutes
Make a promise to yourself, “I will spend these 25 minutes on these tasks. I won’t interrupt myself.” You can do it. It’s just 25 minutes.
Step #3 – Continue working on the task until the timer goes off.
Immerse yourself in that particular task for the next 25 minutes.
If some other work suddenly comes to our mind, write the task on paper, and continue your work. Don’t stop working.
Make sure you avoid checking the timer from time to time. At the very beginning, I found it difficult to turn off distractions such as texting, social media, snacking, etc. But eventually, I practiced and became a fully concentrated person myself.
When the Pomodoro rings, you put a checkmark on the to-do list you created earlier.
According to the Pomodoro Technique, if you finish a certain task in shorter than 25 minutes, you have to “overlearn.” Basically, it is continuing the work on that particular task until the timer rings. It prefers making your studying or working longer. Let’s say your task is doing a difficult algebra problem and you’ve already finished it in just 12 minutes, spend the next 13 minutes doing some more math problems. Anyway, sometimes we all just need to rest. Therefore, I recommend using any leftover time as bonus break time if you ever feel stressed.
Step #4 – Take a short break of 5 minutes away from the study area
Once the timer goes off, take a short break of 5 minutes. Congratulations! An interruption-less, productive Pomodoro has been spent by you! And why, a break? Of course, it will keep your mind focused and fresh.
Now let’s see what you can do during this break. Get up during this time. You should not take a break at the same spot where you’ve been working. Your brain will be grateful for you.
What should you do during the 5 minutes study break?
- Getting up
- Breathing exercises
- Meditate
- Stretching
- Moving around
- Go for a short walk
- Grab a cup of coffee or tea
- Using the bathroom
- Grab a refill for your water
What should you avoid during the break?
- Avoid checking your phone
- Avoid using any social media
- Don’t do any work-related task
Step #5 – After 4 Pomodoro cycles, take a longer break of 20 minutes
Once you’ve completed 4 Pomodoros, you can have a longer break. This could be either 15 minutes or 30 minutes. This is important because your brain can have this time to assimilate and adapt new information and rest before the next round of Pomodoros.
How does the Pomodoro Technique Boost productivity?
I’m now going to tell how it changed my life for the better. I was a person who couldn’t figure out how to plan a single day in my busy life. I’d jump around to all sorts of projects and studies and even get down even one of them achieved. It made me more efficient and wiped out the anxiety over the passing of time.
When I first used the technique, I began to notice a difference in my study and work.
Benefits of the Pomodoro Technique
Curious about the benefits of using the Pomodoro Technique? Well, it has plenty of benefits that you’d love!
- No any mistakes due to the lack of concentration
- Reduce time wastages
- No need to work under pressure
- Can meet deadlines without time pressure
- Can handle unplanned tasks
- Easy for anyone to use
- Improves productivity immediately
- Fun to do
Does the Pomodoro Technique actually work?
Is the Pomodoro technique effective? Obviously! Thousands and thousands of people have been able to manage their time with Pomodoro Technique, especially the students when managing their study time.
In my personal experience, I’ve found that the Pomodoro Technique works best for me early in the morning when I’m fresh. For me, it’s similar to brain training because I know I can’t do anything but focus on my task in each Pomodoro session. It trains the mind not to distract by checking messages, emails, or scrolling down social media feeds.
When you’re doing the Pomodoro cycles, try to avoid distractions as best as you can. The whole idea of the technique is to focus on the 25 minutes.
Conclusion
The Pomodoro Technique is a technique that can be used to reach one’s own objectives. I, being a writer, could realize I was spending too much time gathering information and could adjust my Pomodoro schedule to allow for more revising time.
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Comment below how you won your challenge with time by practicing the Pomodoro Technique.