Pomodoro method: what it is and how to apply it

Have you heard of the pomodoro method? This method was created especially for those who want to be more productive and have more focus at work. The interesting thing is that this technique includes a few minutes of rest while you work!

What is the Pomodoro method?

This is a technique developed in the late 1980s by the Italian Francesco Cirillo, who wanted to improve his productivity in his studies while he was at university.

So, he started using a kitchen timer – the same one you use to know if a certain dish is ready to be taken out of the oven – to start marking his time and organizing his tasks.

The timer in question was shaped like a tomato, tomato in Italian, and it would spin for 25 minutes. At the end of that time, it would stop and sound a loud alarm. While the timer was spinning, the challenge was to maintain total focus and not take your eyes off your tasks.

After a while, Francesco realized that the results were satisfactory and his productivity had actually increased. Then, in 1992, his technique was made public and has lasted to this day.

You don't need to have a tomato timer to start applying the Pomodoro method. Today, there are mobile phone apps and even more sophisticated watches that have this function.

How can I apply the pomodoro method?

So, in practice, the Pomodoro method works by dividing your time and separating your activities into blocks, where you exercise intense concentration for a few minutes, and then take some time to rest, recharging your energy.

In fact, you make your work more efficient from the moment you set goals and objectives, and incorporate periods of total concentration.

To apply, it is very simple.

First, you need something that will track your time, like a timer. Search for an app in your online app store on your phone and see what interests you the most. If you type in the word “pomodoro,” several options will appear.

Then, you will list the things you need to do during the day and, at the front, establish the time you will spend on these things.

For example:

Writing an article – 2h
Reply to my emails – 2h
College activity – 3h

Once you have a clear idea of exactly what you need to do, just start the Pomodoro method.

When the timer goes off after 25 minutes, take a short 5-minute break to do something different that wasn't described there, like drinking a coffee, filling a water bottle, checking your messages, and returning a call.

When you start your 25-minute time again, return to your full focus and dedicate yourself, once again, 100% to that task.

After 4 cycles of 25 minutes, with a 5-minute break, take a longer break, between 15 and 30 minutes, to “clean” your brain and then start again.

In what situations is the Pomodoro method interesting?

But, after all, why is it interesting to work this way, with so many breaks? These moments when you use them to “distract yourself” help you to have more focus and concentration in the minutes you dedicate to this.

Over time, you realize that breaks are allies of mental agility and help you to maintain that activity, especially when it is a very dense or exhausting task.

At the end of a day following the Pomodoro method, you realize that you have done much more and better than those days when you were apparently 100% focused and barely got up to go to the bathroom.

The pomodoro method is also a great ally against procrastination

We often leave tasks that are extremely boring or that will be analyzed by other people for later. A number of issues are involved here:

Anxiety due to the insecurity of not having done a good job;
Lack of motivation;
The fear of making mistakes;
The anticipated fear of exhausting yourself with that task.

The problem is that the longer we put things off, the more anxious we become when the deadline approaches and we still haven't produced anything. In other words: it doesn't solve anything!

Understanding that you need to work with focus on 100%, but also need to rest for a few minutes to cool your brain, is what makes the Pomodoro method so useful and effective.

One detail is that, after some time applying this technique, you may find a different balance point than the 25 minutes. It may be that, in your reality, you can work for 40 minutes and rest for 10.

And so, you adapt the pomodoro method to what works best for you.

Benefits of the Pomodoro Method

Using the Pomodoro method, you can better identify your work format and notice:

How long does it take to do each thing;
Things that catch your attention and end up distracting you;
What usually interrupts your work

Not to mention that you can use this technique to organize your work, to read a book that you really need, or to do anything that requires focus and quality time.