Visit the The Pomodoro Technique website to view the overview video. The website also has the worksheets.
The Pomodoro Technique was created in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo when he was a university student. It is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo first used. The aim of the technique is to provide the user with maximum focus and creative freshness. This should allow you to complete projects faster with less mental fatigue.
The technique is fairly simple. Every project is allocated a number of work periods call a "pomodoro", which is the Italian word for tomato. Each pomodoro is 25 minutes with a five minute break. After four “pomodoros” have passed, (100 minutes of work time with 15 minutes of break time) you then take a 15-20 minute break.
How it Can Help
Frequent breaks keep your mind fresh and focused. If you have a large and varied to-do list, using the Pomodoro Technique can help you crank through projects faster by forcing you to adhere to strict timing. Watching the timer wind down can spur you to wrap up your current task more quickly, and spreading a task over two or three pomodoros can keep you from getting frustrated. The constant timing of your activities makes you more accountable for your tasks, and minimizes the time you spend procrastinating. You’ll grow to “respect the tomato”, and that can help you to better handle your workload.
Strict adherence to the technique means planning and drafting to-do lists, estimating how long or how many pomodoros a project will take, and physically checking off each pomodoro. Recording the completed "pomodori" adds to a sense of accomplishment. Of great importance is to reduce the impact of internal and external interruptions on focus. A "pomodoro" is indivisible. Either the other activity must be postponed or or the "pomodoro" must be abandoned.
The developer encourages a low-tech approach using a mechanical timer, paper and pencil. The physical act of winding up the timer confirms the user's determination to start the task; ticking externalises desire to complete the task; ringing announces a break. The workflow becomes associated with these physical stimuli. But that said, Cirillo has developed his own software.
