Pomodoro Technique: What it is and how to apply it.

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

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

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

In this way, he started using a kitchen timer – the same kind you use to know when a certain dish is ready to be taken out of the oven – to begin tracking his time and organizing his tasks.

The timer in question was shaped like a tomato. pomodoro In Italian, it would spin for 25 minutes. At the end of that time, it would stop and sound a very loud alarm. While the timer was running, 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, in fact, increased. So, in 1992, his technique was published and has endured to this day.

You don't need a tomato timer to start using the Pomodoro Technique. Nowadays, there are mobile apps and even apps for more sophisticated watches that offer this function.

How can I apply the Pomodoro Technique?

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

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

Applying is very simple.

First, you need something to keep track of your time, like a timer. Search for an app in your mobile app store and see what interests you most. If you type in the word "pomodoro," several options will appear.

Next, you will list the things you need to do during the day and, next to them, establish the time you will spend on those things.

For example:

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

Once you have a clear understanding of exactly what you need to do, all you have to do is begin the Pomodoro Technique.

When the timer goes off after 25 minutes, take a short 5-minute break to do something different that wasn't listed there, such as having a coffee, filling a water bottle, checking your messages, or returning a call.

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

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

In what situations is the Pomodoro Technique useful?

But ultimately, why is it interesting to work this way, with so many breaks? These moments that you use to "distract yourself" help you to have more focus and concentration during the minutes that are dedicated to it.

Over time, you realize that breaks are allies of mental agility and help you stay focused on the task, especially when it's a very dense or exhausting one.

At the end of a day following the Pomodoro Technique, you realize you've accomplished much more and better than on those days when you were seemingly 100% focused and barely got up to go to the bathroom.

The Pomodoro Technique is also a great ally against procrastination.

Often, we postpone tasks that are extremely tedious, or that will be reviewed by other people. A number of issues are involved here:

Anxiety stemming from the insecurity of not having done a good job;
Lack of motivation;
The fear of making mistakes;
The anticipated fear of becoming worn out by that task.

The problem is that the more we put things off, the more anxious we become when the deadline approaches and we still have nothing produced. In other words: it solves nothing!

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

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

And so, you adapt the Pomodoro Technique to what works best for you.

Benefits of the Pomodoro Technique

Using the Pomodoro Technique, you'll be able to better identify your work style and realize:

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 you really need to, or to do anything that requires focus and quality time.

Did you enjoy the content?

Start applying the Pomodoro Technique now and watch your routine become much more productive and effective!

Take the opportunity to read as well. College after 40: to do it or not to do it?.

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Nathalia Silva

Journalist, writer, and lover of words.

September 25, 2021

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