Today I bring you a very interesting method. The Pomodoro technique is a method to improve your productivity. It is a very effective way to carry out time management, which proposes to work in intervals of 25 minutes. It should be without interruption or distractions. Between the intervals, 5-minute rest times are added. Its aim is to set goals and improve productivity.
Precisely the time intervals are defined as “pomodoros”. When you complete 4 of them, you can take extended breaks of 15 to 30 minutes. That is, as long as the first four consecutive work intervals have been completed.
This technique was created in 1980 by Francesco Cirillo, consulting specialist and business coach. This idea came to him while he was studying and measuring his time with a timer in the shape of a tomato, which gives rise to its name.
How to apply the Pomodoro technique effectively
To start with, we create a to-do list. In addition, we need to get a timer or stopwatch. We set it for 25 minutes and focus on a single task until the time runs out.
When this first stage is over, we mark the first pomodoro as completed. Now, we rest for 5 minutes. In this way, four pomodoros are completed and we can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
For everything to work correctly and efficiently, it is important to keep in mind:
- Break down complex projects. If a task requires more than four pomodoros to complete, break the activity into smaller steps.
- Small tasks go together. Any activity that requires less than one pomodoro can be combined with other simple tasks.
- Once a pomodoro is established, it cannot be broken. For the Pomodoro technique to work, there must be no interruptions or distractions. Any activity, idea or task that arises should be considered to come back to later.
If an interruption is unavoidable, then we can have a 5-minute break and start again. Similarly, we can keep track of interruptions as they happen. The idea is , to be able to reflect on how to avoid them in the future.
If you complete an activity or task before the timer goes off, you can continue to use the time to learn or improve your skills against the set goal.
Photo credit: TC
