Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.[1] It uses a kitchen timer to break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student.[2][1]

A tomato-shaped Pomodoro kitchen timer
A pomodoro kitchen timer.

Apps and websites providing timers and instructions have widely popularized the technique. Closely related to concepts such as timeboxing and iterative and incremental development used in software design, the method has been adopted in pair programming contexts.[3]

Description

The original technique has six steps:

  1. Decide on the task to be done.
  2. Set the Pomodoro timer (typically for 25 minutes).[1]
  3. Work on the task.
  4. End work when the timer rings and take a short break (typically 5–10 minutes).[4]
  5. Go back to Step 2 and repeat until you complete four pomodoros.
  6. After four pomodoros are done, take a long break (typically 20 to 30 minutes) instead of a short break. Once the long break is finished, return to step 2.

For the purposes of the technique, a pomodoro is an interval of work time.[1]

Regular breaks are taken, aiding assimilation. A 10-minute break separates consecutive pomodoros. Four pomodoros form a set. There is a longer 20–30-minute break between sets.[1][5]

A goal of the technique is to reduce the effect of internal and external interruptions on focus and flow. A pomodoro is indivisible; when interrupted during a Pomodoro, either the other activity must be recorded and postponed (using the inform – negotiate – schedule – call back strategy[6]) or the pomodoro must be abandoned.[1][5][7]

After task completion in a Pomodoro, any remaining time should be devoted to activities, for example:

  1. Review your work just completed (optional)
  2. Review the activities from a learning point of view (ex: What learning objective did you accomplish? What learning outcome did you accomplish? Did you fulfill your learning target, objective, or outcome for the task?)
  3. Review the list of upcoming tasks for the next planned pomodoro time blocks, and start reflecting on or updating them.

Cirillo suggests:

Specific cases should be handled with common sense: If you finish a task while the Pomodoro is still ticking, the following rule applies: If a Pomodoro begins, it has to ring. It’s a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity for overlearning, using the remaining portion of the Pomodoro to review or repeat what you’ve done, make small improvements, and note what you’ve learned until the Pomodoro rings.[1]

The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique.[1] In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a "To Do Today" list, enabling users to estimate the effort they will require. As pomodoros are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement.[1]

Tools

The creator and his proponents encourage a low-tech approach, using a mechanical timer, paper, and pencil. The physical act of winding the timer confirms the user's determination to start the task; ticking externalises the desire to complete the task; ringing announces a break. Flow and focus become associated with these physical stimuli.[1][8]

The technique has inspired application software for several platforms, with various programs available.[9][10]

See also

References
  1. Cirillo, Francesco. The Pomodoro Technique. Retrieved 8 May 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. Cummings, Tucker (31 January 2011). "The Pomodoro Technique: Is It Right For You?". Lifehack. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  3. Olsen, Patricia R.; Remsik, Jim (19 September 2009). "For Writing Software, a Buddy System". The New York Times.
  4. Cirillo, Francesco. "Get Started". The Pomodoro Technique. Retrieved 6 January 2016. 4. When the Pomodoro Rings, Put a Checkmark on a Paper Click the "how" link and see step 4. Presumably, the piece of paper can be one's task list or similar. In any case, four check marks indicate a longer break (step 6).
  5. Nöteberg, Staffan (2010). Pomodoro Technique Illustrated. Raleigh, N.C: Pragmatic Bookshelf. ISBN 978-1-934356-50-0.
  6. "Productivity 101: An Introduction to The Pomodoro Technique". Lifehacker. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. Kaufman, Josh (2011). The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14-197109-4.
  8. Burkeman, Oliver (2011). Help!: How to Be Slightly Happier, Slightly More Successful, and Get a Bit More Done. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. 139–140. ISBN 978-0-85786-025-5.
  9. Sande, Steven (28 November 2009). "The Pomodoro Technique, or how a tomato made me more productive". Engadget. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. Pash, Adam (2011). Lifehacker the Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better. Indianapolis, Ind: Wiley. Hack 29. ISBN 978-1-118-13345-3.
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