Do more and have fun with time management
About The Pomodoro® Technique
Do you feel overwhelmed by work, tend to procrastinate, struggle with concentration or have problems meeting demanding deadlines? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need the Pomodoro Technique!
The Pomodoro® Technique is an easy and fun way to get the most out of time management. Turn time into a valuable ally to accomplish tasks while keeping track of your progress.
What is the Pomodoro® Technique?
The Pomodoro® Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It is a structured method made up of processes, tools, principles and values to learn how to deal with time and turn it from a vicious predator to an ally to boost productivity. It is based on a series of principles built on self-observation and awareness. Developing these skills makes it possible to change the relationship with time and reach our goals with less effort and anxiety.
For many of us time is an enemy. The anxiety triggered by deadlines leads to ineffective work and procrastination. The Pomodoro® Technique transforms time into a valuable ally. Thanks to this technique we can use time to be more productive.
Testimonials
Claudine Hellmuth
"I've been using the @PomodoroTech for a week now to increase productivity. I'm now getting done is 6 hours what would take me 8! loving it."
David Tanzer
"It's amazing what you get done with @PomodoroTech - And in the breaks you can do other things - like housework #homeoffice"
Benefits
Enhanced Focus and Concentration
The Pomodoro® Technique utilizes fixed time intervals for focused work, usually 25 minutes, followed by short breaks. This structured approach keeps the mind alert and engaged, significantly reducing the inclination to procrastinate and enabling a deeper focus on tasks.
Improved Time Management
By segmenting work into distinct Pomodoros, the technique encourages a more conscious approach to time allocation. It allows for more precise tracking of how time is spent on various tasks, fostering better planning and efficiency in both daily tasks and longer-term projects.
Reduced Work-Related Stress
Regular breaks, integral to the Pomodoro Technique, help in preventing mental fatigue and lowering stress levels. This structure ensures that work periods are intense and productive, while breaks offer necessary moments of relaxation, promoting a healthier balance between work and rest.
Enhanced Team Communication and Flexibility
While each team member works on their own Pomodoro schedule, the technique encourages more structured and effective communication. By defining specific intervals for collaboration and individual work, it reduces interruptions and enables team members to plan their interaction times more effectively, including swapping pairs for different tasks or perspectives
Adaptability to Varied Task Requirements
The Pomodoro® Technique is adaptable to different types of tasks and work styles. While the traditional Pomodoro is set at 25 minutes, the technique's real power lies in its ability to be tailored to the nature of the task, whether it requires intense concentration or more creative, free-form thinking. This adaptability makes it a versatile tool for a wide range of activities and projects.
Is this Technique for you?
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
- You are working on a task and you suddenly need to do other things - updating your Facebook status, working on a task of a different project, loading the dishwasher - instead of focusing on your current goal.
- You are working on a task and you hear a voice in your head: "Are you sure this is the right thing to do now? Are you sure you are not forgetting something urgent to do? Are you sure there isn't a better way to do that?
- Your deadline is approaching and completing your task on time seems impossible: the more time you work on it and the more complex it seems.
- You're constantly interrupted by other members of the team: your attention span gets smaller and smaller and you make more mistakes.
- You need to reach multiple goals by the end of the week and you don’t know what the best task to start with is.
You are not alone! We all face the same problem. We know we should focus on the task in hand, but it feels impossible with so many distractions and demands on our time.
These kinds of occurrences are common when it comes to reaching goals under the pressure of time. The Pomodoro® Technique is a training programme to learn how to deal with these occurrences in a productive way in order to reach our own objectives.
We all need The Pomodoro® Technique. This deceptively simple tool transforms both work and home life and make us far more productive.
How does the Technique work?
Time is limited. We can't have as much as we want, neither stop it nor slow it down. When our mind realizes that it cannot control time, we get scared and time appears to us as a vicious predator.
The answers our frightened mind finds are dysfunctional: “run faster”, “work harder”, ”find a shortcut” "do something else". None of these options are effective. And, as you may have experienced, these answers generate more frustration, weariness and a sense of guilt. Procrastination and low productivity are the effect of the anxiety we feel when we don't know how to deal with the fact that we can't control time.
The Pomodoro® Technique helps our brain recognise and observe those tricky moments and learn how to deal with them efficiently, which is so crucial in order to find functional answers and in the end to reach our goals.
The Method
Is the Pomodoro® Technique just the timer?
No. The Pomodoro® Technique is not just the timer! The Pomodoro® timer is for sure the most iconic element of the technique. But there is more to it.
The Problem
When dealing with Time, there are several situations in which it can appear as a vicious predator.
While you're working on a task, Time can show up in your mind in the shape of thoughts like:
- "I think it's time to update our Facebook account."
- "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!"
- "Why don't you start working on that other project"
- "You should have started before..."
- "Do you want to take a break... now? With all the things you have to do?"
During the day, you need to complete several tasks and Time can show up in your mind in the shape of thoughts like:
- "Wouldn’t it be better to work on another task?"
- "Sure you’re not forgetting about the things you need to do?"
- "Sure there’s no better way of doing this kind of things?"
During the week, you need to reach several different goals and Time can show up in your mind in the shape of thoughts like:
- "You're doing great on the book... don't stop now"
- "You're doing really terrible on the book... don't stop now"
While you're working in a team, and you have to reach your goals with other people, Time can show up in your mind in the shape of thoughts like:
- "You're too slow... You'll become a bottleneck for the rest of the team"
- "You should have left this task to Marc"
In each of these situations, Time appears as a vicious predator and you answers are dysfunctional.
The Solution
To be effective in these situations, Francesco Cirillo came up with a series of incremental processes, practices, solutions and tools which together make up the Pomodoro® Technique:
- The Pomodoro® Internal Process, to learn how to develop an effective relationship with Time, our "predator".
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The Pomodoro® Core Process to learn how to focus on your tasks.
The well-known:
- Choose a task
- Set the Pomodoro® Timer to 25 minutes
- Work on the task until the Pomodoro® rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
- Take a short break (Start with 5 minutes)
- Every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break
- The Pomodoro® Daily Process to learn how to complete multiple tasks and set up a daily routine.
- The Pomodoro® Weekly Process to learn how to reach multiple goals and set up a weekly routine.
- The Pomodoro® Team Process to learn how to adapt the technique to a team.
All these processes allow you to:
- Be gentle with yourself: you will develop a conscious relationship with Time.
- Turn time into an ally: you will use time as a factor to improve individual and team productivity.
Get Started
Why Pomodoro®?
Francesco Cirillo, the creator of the Pomodoro® Technique tells the "Pomodoro Story."
"I was a student at the university in 1987 and I had to take the sociology exam in September. I couldn't keep my mind focused on my book. I was constantly getting distracted. I made a humble bet with myself: 'Can you stay focused for two minutes without distraction?' I went to the kitchen, grabbed a timer and came back to my table. The timer was red and shaped like a Pomodoro (tomato in English). I wound it up to two minutes and started reading my book. When the timer rang I had won my bet against Time. Surprised, I began to ask myself why it had worked? I gradually increased the amount of time when I set the timer. I got to one hour, but that was too much. I didn't take too long to realize that, for a number of factors, the ideal unit of work was 25 minutes followed by a 2-5 minute break.
There, on that table in September 1987, I hadn't noticed yet but for the first time I had managed to turn time into an ally. Exactly at the moment when Time appeared to be such a vicious predator to me I managed to stop in front of it, and still and afraid ask this simple question: "How can you, Time, be useful to me now?
For the first time I used time instead of running away from Time. I decided to use Time, spend it to take a break, favour my mental processes, allow my mind to organize the information it had acquired in the working time and put me in the best situation to start my next Pomodoro."
I Love My Time
Faq
- Managers who needed to reconcile their work objectives.
- Entrepreneurs who wanted to learn how to develop their innovative products with their team applying an evolutionary, adaptive process.
- Researchers who needed to combine different needs: to work and deliver results on different projects, keep up to date with the newest theories and practices and of course take time for themselves and their families.
- Writers, designers, product developers and professionals who needed to develop and deliver their creative work and to do so, had to organise their time and resources to favour their creative process and produce the best possible results.
- Teams interested in improving their productivity by organising an effective and sustainable Weekly Plan, applying practices to share knowledge, defining strategies to deal with interruptions, uncertainty and change.