Are you familiar with the pomodoro technique? And before you ask, no it doesn’t have anything to do with tomato sauce. If you’re not, then you’re missing out big time.
The Pomodoro Technique was invented in the early 90s by Francesco Cirillo. The technique is simple: it helps you break down work into short intervals with short breaks. It’s a great method to prevent burnout, manage distractions, and make the most out of your work time.
The Pomodoro Technique
- 25 minutes of focus time
- Short breaks of 5 minutes
- Every 4 Pomodoro’s you can take a long break (15 to 30 minutes)
- You can use your own timer or use one of the plenty online options such as a tomato timer. Chrome has an extension called Marinara: Pomodoro Assistant (it’s great because it tracks the time and it opens a new tab on your browser when the 25 minutes are done, so if you’re doing research of working on a document online, it’ll interrupt you to make sure you get your 5 minute break).
The Ultimate Productivity Hack
Many professionals fully vouch for the effectiveness of the Pomodoro Technique. According to research, in an 8-hour work day, workers are only productive for an average of two hours and 53 minutes.
That’s the equivalent of 4-5 Pomodoro’s a day!
By breaking down the workday into short-time intervals, people find it easier to manage their time and distractions. If you only have 25 minutes to tackle something and you’re keeping time, you’re less likely to go on social media, check your phone, or get distracted by email.
A side note, though Pomodoro’s last 25 minutes, you can be flexible with them. If you feel like you can keep going and you don’t want to break the flow of whatever you’re working on, you can ignore the timer and keep working. The important thing is that you take a break at some point.
A great advantage of the Pomodoro Technique is that it’ll help you keep better track of what you work on and how much time it takes you to get through it. It also makes you more effective, productive, and eventually you’ll get better at defining your own objectives and setting a realistic and attainable timetable.
Try it out! And if you feel like you need a little extra oomph to get you going, consider joining a shared workspace!
