How The Pomodoro Technique Helps Me
When I was still in college, I used to divide my studying time into fragments because I cannot focus on one thing for a very long time. I tend to be distracted easily and to multitask. I only learned when I started working that my thing has a name. In this blog, I will share how the Pomodoro Technique helps me.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo. It uses a timer to break work down into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, and spaced out by short breaks. Each interval is known as a Pomodoro, an Italian word for ‘tomato’, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student. I began to utilize the Pomodoro Technique extensively when I started to work as a Software Development Analyst under an Agile environment, we usually refer to it as “time-boxing”. I also use this technique when I am off work, especially when I study and write blog articles.
HOW DOES THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE WORK
Basically, this method trains you to work in short sprints and encourages you to take regular breaks in between. To start, all you need is a timer. You don’t need to buy the same type of timer that Cirillo used! You can use your phone’s timer or if you are as fussy as me, you can download any free mobile applications. As for me, I am using the Focus Keeper app.
Steps in doing Pomodoros:
- Choose a task to be accomplished for the first Pomodoro.
- Set the timer to 25 minutes.
- Work on the task until the timer rings. Then, the app will tell you to take a 5-minute break.
- When the 5 minutes are up, go back to working on your assignments.
- After every 4 Pomodoros, take a 20-minute break.
In the settings of the Focus Keeper app, you can set the timer length for Focus, Short Break, and Long Break. You can also change the number of sessions you want to have per round.
HOW THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE HELPS ME
This technique has loads of benefits but for this post, I only picked 3 major ways on how this method transformed me:
1. It improves my focus
As I previously mentioned, I have a habit of multitasking. Whenever I work on a task, my mind tends to wander and be distracted by something else which impels me to ~actually~ do it alongside with the previous task. It compromises the quality of both tasks.
But with the Pomodoro technique, it urges me to select one particular task and use a Pomodoro to immerse myself on that one task alone. If I realize that I need to do something else, I will list it down and will work on it in the next Pomodoro.
2. It reduces burnout
Imagine that you have a pile of reports or readings to complete, and doing it nonstop will eventually feel like a never-ending task. Sooner or later, it will take a toll on your mind and body, and you will feel exhausted.
The Pomodoro technique believes that productivity is increased when work is performed in sessions and regular breaks help improve a person’s mental agility. Some people may say that it is preposterous to take breaks while you are working especially when you are in the momentum, but as backed by this study, short breaks are beneficial for one’s brain as it uses these breathers to absorb new information and to rest before going back to work.
Since there are 5-minute breaks between each Pomodoro, I get to relax, drink water, or stretch. It also becomes a sort of reward that I always look forward to after every 25-minute of hard work.
3. It instills self-discipline
When you know that you have three months to complete a mound of tasks, do you feel the itch to start doing it right away? No, I don’t. Look for me lazing these days away doing nothing until I have 1 month left.
However, with this technique, you can estimate the needed effort and Pomodoros for each activity beforehand. Three months will suddenly seem not long enough to be squandered.
Given that the Pomodoros and breaks are all clocked, I keep myself in check—making sure that I don’t spend the Pomodoro time doing other than what I am supposed to do and that I don’t take breaks longer than I am intended to. When the ring bells, I know I have to go back to work.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s pretty amazing how unpretentious methods, like the Pomodoro technique, would catapult me into becoming a better version of myself.
Have you used it? If not yet, I hope this “How The Pomodoro Technique Helps Me” piece will inspire you to try it for yourself.
