The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.[1] The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are named pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student. (Source from Wikipedia)
I learned about this technique a few years ago through Michael Hyatt’s podcast. At first, I was skeptical because I don’t know how to break huge tasks into smaller ones. I am also considering the momentum you have built while you are working on it. As these questions come up, I still gave it a try.
I went to the App Store and looked for a Pomodoro app. There are tons of applications in the store available both for mac and also for your iOS devices. After reviewing the different apps, I downloaded Be Focused and installed it on my laptop. If you don’t want to download any app, you can also use the timer in your phone and set it to 25 minutes. The app just helps you organize the tasks and also track your accomplishments.
Before starting the timer, make sure that you have already list down all the tasks that you want to do for the day. I will make another blog on how you can effectively use a To Do list but for now, you can arrange your list by priority.
Start the timer and do the first task in your list. The first thing I noticed is that I became conscious of the timer and this made me more focused on the task at hand. I did not look at my social media accounts and browse other sites. I was dead focus on the task! When the timer ended, I realized that I accomplished a lot with the short amount of time I put in. After the 25 minutes, you will need to take the 5 minute break! I know that this could be counter productive and you can break the momentum. What I found out is that, it gave me a fresh boost of energy to go to the next task on my list.
Looking back, I’ve been using this for over two years now and I could really say that this helped me achieve more with less time. I now use the extra time to read books, research, or talk with colleagues. Now when I take the 5-minute break in between tasks, I stand up and walk. It helped me get out of the tasks for a short time to relax my mind and I found it beneficial in the long haul. I end the day with a sense of accomplishment knowing that I was productive and there is a sense of accomplishment whether that is a list of small tasks or huge ones. I challenge you to try it out and let me know how it helped you become more productive.