Today, we are bombarded by so many distractions. If it is not the phone vibrating off the desk, email notifications popping up every 5 minutes, or a colleague walking into our office with the latest and greatest gossip, our ability to focus and do deep work has greatly declined. Not only is our ability to focus impacted, but our ability to achieve a state of flow where innovation and creativity lies.
I was introduced to this term in an undergraduate upper-level transcendental psychology class. This term was coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, a positive psychologist. Flow is an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.” In other words, you feel “in the zone”! The Pomodoro technique is just one path to training your mind to achieve optimal focus. I use this technique when writing and working on projects. I believe it will help you increase your productivity and output as well.
What is it?
Francesco Cirillo developed The Pomodoro technique in 1980s while in college as a way to study more effectively. The term Pomodoro is an Italian word for tomato. He actually used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. Francesco documented the technique in his book, “The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work“.
The purpose of the technique is to allow short bursts of focused work and easily allow you to enter the flow state. The core aspects of the productivity tool is to reduce the number of distractions, document progress and provided rewards along the way.
How Do I Use it?
If you decide to implement this into your own work process, this product technique is simple to use. At the end of this article, you will find a free Pomodoro Tool, I developed to help you track your progress as you get started.
- Pick only one project that you will provide 100% focus.
- Set a timeframe for a given timeframe. Let’s say 25 minutes. Each time block is called a Pomodoro. Set your timer!
- Once the timer goes off, take a break. As you progress through each Pomodoro, you have the option of increasing the break.
- Repeat four times with breaks increasing as well.
- Document your progress.
Timing
Depending on the urgency and the amount of work that needs to be done, I have used a number of timing measures while adhering to the basic principles. I have used a 25-minute work block with a 5-minute break or a 25:5 split. One can utilize at 45:15 split, 60:30 or 90:45 split. While it has been shown that 90-minutes is the natural concentration cycle, the shorter bursts help me to work longer and with much more intensity.
I maintain consistency with the time allocation. If I select at 25:5 split, the pomodoro will continue to be 25 minutes for each cycle. I try not to do 25 minutes on the second cycle, 60 minutes on the third, and 30 minutes on the final. Breaks on the other hand, increase slightly to allow for recuperation and refocusing. I only add 5 minutes to each session.
For example:
- Pomodoro 1 – 25 minutes – 5-minute break
- Pomodoro 2 – 25 minutes – 10-minute break
- Pomodoro 3 – 25 minutes – 15-minute break
- Pomodoro 4 – 25 minutes – 20-minute break.
To have the full experience…and you know you must. Grab a Pomodoro – style kitchen timer!
Pomodoro Timer
Replica of the timer Franscesco Cirillo use to to get thing done as a university student. Great for professionals with many projects and deadlines. Stay on Track!
Who is it for?
I think this is ideal for not only students, but working professionals. Many times we are stuck at a desk with a million things happening. Before you know it, heaps of work have piled up before you. The approach is all or nothing. You can use those breaks to return missed calls or answer quick emails. New projects must wait until the main task has been completed. It is inefficient to continue jumping from one thing to the other. Otherwise, stay focused and remain that state of flow as that is where creativity occurs. During my sessions, I listen to ambient Lofi music on Spotify or Study with Me Videos on YouTube. I prefer soundtracks without words that I listen to with noise canceling headphones which blocks out any additional background noises.
However, inevitably the boss will come in with an emergency—interrupting the beauty of it all. What is one to do but drop everything to work on that task! If it is something that can be accomplished quickly (30 minutes or less), simply record that time, and add an additional pomodoro. If it is a two- or three-hour project, just wrap up the project and start over later when you can do four more consecutive cycles—uninterrupted.
Lastly, once you have completed your work, you may have time left over in your last scheduled session. Take the time to review the work that you have completed. Check for errors and inaccuracies. Improve on the work that has been completed. Or you can simply prepare for the next task.
Free Downloadable Pomodoro Tool
Give this productivity tool a try and let me know how it goes. Click here to download the productivity tool, I’ve created to help you document your Pomodoro sessions.
