The Pomodoro Technique™

Why Rhythm and Free Time Are Important
by Francesco Cirillo on November 9, 2007

One of the basic concepts of the Pomodoro Technique™ is rhythm. It’s important to:

alternate free time and pomodoros
remember to give yourself some free time everyday
make a 3-minute break seem like a 20 minute one by taking it as true pause – Don’t keep hashing over what you have been doing
make the weekend a time for free time.

Remember that free time is unorganized time without schedules or goals, not just time off from work. If on Thursday I say to myself: “Saturday morning I’ll go jogging for an hour, then wash the car, get groceries, make a nice lunch for my friend Mark, then take a nap, go out to buy a computer, shower, play soccer, have dinner with Barbara (I hope!)”….we can say that Saturday I have decided not to have any free time :) (and I wouldn’t want to be in Barbara’s shoes either!)

We need to train ourselves on how to fully enjoy our free time :)

One of my “students” (coach of a 50-person team, and married with two kids) is a master of free time. I have a lot to learn from him. On Saturday he gets up. If there’s something to be done he does it (pay bills, get groceries)…then he loads his family into the camper and they take off…or he reads about a museum exhibition and goes to see it. Total spontaneity.

Without expectations. Without goals. Without time. It’s easy to “waste” free time :) On a Saturday some time ago, I went swimming in the morning and played tennis at noon. And I had had fun. A lot of fun. After a month had gone by I realized that ever since that day, my free time had become organized time :) Every Saturday I went swimming and played tennis :) But I didn’t have so much fun…they had become activities that “had” to be done :) It doesn’t take much…

In conclusion: