Do you struggle to focus? Tasks taking longer than they should?
The Pomodoro Technique 🍅 may be your answer!
What is it?
In the 1980’s, the time blocking technique was coined by Italian Consultant Francesco Cirillo after the Pomodoro (Tomato) timer he used to track his work during his studies.
The basis of the technique is that any task(s) small or large, studying or working, can be divided into subtasks and timed intervals called Pomodoros. These Pomodoros are separated by short breaks in order to make tasks more manageable and enable deep focus.
How do I use it?
The key criteria of the Pomodoro Technique is:
- Focus aka ‘Pomodoro’ (25 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
- Repeat 3 Times
- Long Break (15 minutes)
- Repeat as many times as you need
Note, these times can be adapted for the task at hand or your attention span. If you are on a roll or mid-thought you don’t have to take a break when the focus timer ends. There are several ways of executing the Pomodoro Technique for example you could use:
The old fashioned physical timer 🍅
Manually set the times for each session (above) and maybe even get a tomato one!
Forest App 🌲
The Forest App lets you set the duration you’d like to focus for. Then it visually shows you how successfully you have focused, by your plant growing. However, if you check your phone between focus sessions it will die. Over time you can collect badges and coins and even grow your own virtual forest from all the plants you have grown.
To top it off, with those coins you can plant real trees as they have partnered with a real-tree-planting organisation, Trees for the future!
Pomodoro Timer Online ⏲
The web app I personally use is the Pomodoro Timer Online. Since it has a browser app which is easily accessible on a PC, lets you track your Pomodoros and has different preset and customisable Pomodoro lengths. Plus it lets you play their integrated Lofi or soothing sounds whilst you work!
Conclusion
The Pomodoro Technique can enable the superpower of intense focus, in fact I wrote this article using the Pomodoro Technique. How meta!
The technique is simple yet effective at unlocking your full focus. Use it for any task small or large!
Remember, the way you conduct your Pomodoros is entirely up to you but the key criteria of the Pomodoro Technique is:
- Focus aka ‘Pomodoro’ (25 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
- Repeat 3 Times
- Long Break (15 minutes)
- Repeat as needed
What will you accomplish with your new found superpower? 🍅