Title Photography: Ali Ertel in "Modern Masters" by Zoë Ghertner for Vogue UK April 2015
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. A university student at the time, Cirillo struggled to focus and finish his assignments. Feeling immensely overwhelmed, he held himself accountable to commit to just 10 minutes of focused study time. A motivated Cirillo soon found a tomato (pomodoro in Italian) shaped timer and thus, The Pomodoro Technique was born.
THE FIVE STEP TECHNIQUE
Cirillo went on to write an entire book on The Pomodoro Technique, but the essence of it is rooted in simplicity. Fundamentally, the technique encourages short bursts of manageable chunks of work with breaks built in between. With this method, you work for 25-minutes sessions separated by five-minute breaks. After every four Pomodoros (think of these as work sessions), you then indulge in an extended 15 to 30 minutes break.
In short, we can break it up into 5 steps,
- Get your timer and to-do list
- Set up your timer for 25 minutes and focus on the selected task at hand until the time is up
- After the 25-minute mark, scratch off one Pomodoro and record what you have completed
- Enjoy a five-minute break
- After four Pomodoros, take a longer 15-to-30-minute break
QUICK TIPS
Photo: Ieva Laguna by Regan Cameron for Harper's Bazaar UK April 2016
The 25-minute work sprints are the core of the method, but a Pomodoro practice also includes three rules for getting the most out of each interval:
- Break Down Complex Projects: If a task requires more than four Pomodoros, it needs to be broken down into smaller, actionable steps. Sticking to this will ensure you make clear progress on your projects.
- Small Tasks Go Together: Any task that will take less than one Pomodoro should be combined with other simple tasks. For instance, “set dental appointment” and “water plants” could go together in one session.
- Once A Pomodoro Is Set, It Must Ring: The Pomodoro is an indivisible unit of time and cannot be broken. Any other tasks or requests that come up should be taken note of and returned to later.
In the event of a disrupted Pomodoro, take your five-minute break and start again. Cirillo also recommends that you track interruptions as they occur and reflect on how to avoid them in the future.
The rule applies even if you finish your task before the timer goes off. The remaining time should be used for improving skills or increasing the scope of knowledge.
GO AHEAD, TRY IT OUT
And if the method sounds simple – that is because it is! The Pomodoro Technique is all about getting your mind in the most productive zone to increase efficiency.