28 Jun Pomodoro Technique Timer
The Pomodoro Technique Timer:
How Tomatoes Can Help You Accomplish Your Tasks
No, that doesnât mean you need to have actual tomatoes on your desk so you can tick off items on your to-do list. Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato, and if youâre scratching your head and wondering how it can help you complete your growing list of tasks, then read on.
What is the Pomodoro Technique Timer?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management strategy that was developed in the late 80s by Italian Francesco Cirillo. At the time, Cirillo was facing the common struggles of university students: how to stay motivated and focused. To keep himself on task, he developed a method that requires him to spend only 10 minutes of focused study time. When the 10 minutes was up, he took a short break before continuing on his task. He used a tomato-shaped timer to set alarms during his study time, and thatâs how the Pomodoro Technique was born.
The Pomodoro Technique is an effective time management technique for students and individuals who work across a variety of fields, especially for writers, coders, and designers. Itâs also effective for those who frequently have to accomplish repetitive tasks or get easily distracted. By breaking down your tasks into units or pomodoros, you are able to see time as a concrete event and estimate the duration needed to finish a task. This makes it easier to commit to a task and have better focus.Â
How Does the Pomodoro Technique Timer Work?
The Pomodoro Technique Timer is simple and straightforward. It is best used when tackling big tasks or projects that seem to overwhelm you to the point that you avoid getting started simply because you donât know where to begin.
The process is divided into the following basic steps:
- Choose a task or project to break down and work on.
- Set your timer for 25-30 minutes and focus on that particular task until the timer goes off.
- When your session is up, mark it as one pomodoro. (One 25-minute session is one pomodoro.)
- Take a break for five minutes before continuing on.
- After four pomodoros, take a longer break for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Make sure to record each pomodoro you complete in your notebook or app.
While the process is easy enough to follow, the Pomodoro Technique also has three rules that must be observed to maximize your productivity. These are:
- Simplify complex tasks. The Pomodoro Technique emphasizes breaking down big projects into bite-size tasks that you can complete in 25 minutes. If a task needs more than four pomodoros to complete, you will have to divide it into even smaller steps so you can have a clearer picture of your progress.
- Group small tasks together. Meanwhile, if a task can be done in five minutes instead of 25, you should find similar quick tasks to combine them with to complete one full pomodoro session.
- Stick to the task assigned in your pomodoro. The Pomodoro Technique requires that you focus on a specific task for a 25-minute period. This means you canât stop to reply to text messages or check your email and group chats. If you receive messages while in the middle of your pomodoro, take note of them and get back to them once your session is up.
What Makes the Pomodoro Technique Timer So Effective?
Getting started on a big task can be a struggle for many, which then leads to avoidance and procrastination. By using the Pomodoro Technique Timer, you can break down overwhelming and intimidating tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Instead of sitting down for hours to work on a big Powerpoint presentation, you can assign work on two slides at a time as one pomodoro. By doing so, you can focus on your task one session at a time while minimizing stress, anxiety, and pressure.
Here are more reasons as to why the Pomodoro Technique Timer is a great way to improve your productivity:
- It prevents procrastination. Even when you intend to work and get started on your tasks, little distractions can always lead you to procrastinate. Especially when tasks are overwhelming or not something you look forward to doing. Procrastination can have serious implications if left unaddressed. It can lead to missed deadlines, falling behind on your work duties or school projects, and add stress. With the Pomodoro Technique Timer, you only need to commit to working on your tasks for a short period of time and can look forward to taking breaks in-between, allowing yourself time to breathe and assess your progress.
- It allows room for distractions. Sometimes, even when we are determined to sit for hours to finish our tasks, we end up getting pulled away from our work by everyday things. It could be an email from a client, an urgent text message, or even the constant social media notifications. Interrupting your work to attend to these distractions keeps you from completing your task in a timely manner. You also lose more precious minutes in trying to readjust your focus back to your task. A quick check of your Instagram feed or group chat messages can turn into half an hour of scrolling up and down before you can tear yourself away from your phone. With the Pomodoro Technique Timer, the short intervals between tasks gives you a chance to attend to these little distractions without sacrificing your productivity.
- It limits open-ended work. Tasks that involve tons of writing or extensive research often take hours or even days to complete. The sheer volume of work involved can sometimes be disheartening, particularly if you canât identify a starting point. As such, itâs also difficult to estimate the time you need to spend to complete them. By using the Pomodoro Technique Timer, you learn to break down tasks into manageable tasks, making them easier to handle. It also gives you a clear idea of how much work you can get done within a specific timeframe, and in turn, estimate how long the entire task is going to take.
- It reduces physical and mental fatigue. Boredom and feeling burned out can be a challenge to keep at bay, especially when youâre working on a long or repetitive task. Not to mention, sitting in front of your computer for hours can be bad for your eyes, posture, and overall health. The Pomodoro Technique Timer helps you prevent mental and physical stress by giving you a chance to pull away from your work to rest your mind and stretch your muscles. You can check your messages, watch a short video, or even take a short nap or walk.
- It turns work into a fun game. If you like games, the Pomodoro Technique Timer can be a fun way of getting your tasks accomplished. Think of the timer as a countdown, and each pomodoro is a level that you need to pass.
How Do You Get Started on the Pomodoro Technique Timer?
If youâre used to working from home for six to eight hours every day, switching to the Pomodoro Technique Timer doesnât mean you have to divide your normal working hours into 25-minute blocks right away. Start with two to four pomodoro sessions a day to get into the habit and acquaint yourself with working for short periods of time. You can then compare your productivity when using your old work habits versus the Pomodoro Technique Timer.
Download the FREE POMODORO TECHNIQUE TIMER PDF here!
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