The Pomodoro Technique is a productivity and time management strategy developed by Francesco Cirillo. A Pomodoro is a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, which is the kind of timer that the creator of this technique himself used in the 1980s. This technique is included in this chapter because it can be a great tool in enhancing your ability to concentrate.
In his book, Cirillo laid out the following fundamental objectives in using this technique for one’s study or work habits:
The goal is to organize one’s workload of activities for the day. Essentially, you will fix a time for accomplishing these activities successfully by increments. You do this by dividing your time into pre-determined periods of full work and taking a break in between to rest and revive your creativity. Thus, distractions are cut down as you gather all your attention to the work at hand while being conscious of the timer.
The traditional method suggests a 25-minute period in which to finish a particular task or set of tasks, and then a 3 to 5-minute rest in between, whether the pre-determined tasks were finished or not. The Pomodoro kitchen timer is set at 25 minutes, and “one Pomodoro” is a unit of time which is indivisible. You cannot interrupt the timer nor stop it at 10 or 15 minutes.
The timer must keep on going until it finishes at 25 minutes, because the goal here is to chase time and finish as much work as possible. It is through this way that you are constantly reminded to avoid interruptions and other distractions as much as possible. If you didn’t finish your task within the 25-minute period, you push yourself by doing better again each time, with the next Pomodoro and the next.
The 3-5 minute rests in between likewise improves your mood by making you feel a sense of accomplishment for the tasks that you were able to finish. The author also suggests that you have to take a longer period of rest after four Pomodoros to regain your energy substantially.
To accomplish the objectives set by this technique, there are rules that you must adhere to. After the timer ticks off, you cannot go back to the tasks that you weren’t able to finish. Just take the pre-determined 3-5 minute rest to gather your strength and motivate yourself to perform much better next time. Start the next Pomodoro that was set for a particular task or set of tasks, and just keep at it.
It is important to follow these rules; otherwise, being aware that you keep failing and compensating your failures by breaking the rules will make this strategy ineffective. You frustrate no other but only yourself.