A Short Introduction To The Pomodoro Technique
- Dec 12, 2018
- 3 min read
Probably one of the main reasons I struggle to study sometimes is the trouble I have starting my work. That first minute of reading or working on your essay draft? That is what I hate the most. Although I consider myself to have a fairly strong work ethic and I find it relatively easy to concentrate on things, I am a huge procrastinator. There is genuinely not a single thing in the world that I dread more than making a start on things. (This is why I don’t like writing introductions for blog posts either!)
So in today’s post, I want to share with you the only method that has worked wonders for my procrastination: the Pomodoro Technique. I will also teach you how to use it for more efficient work.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. The concept revolves around breaking down your work in time chunks of 25 minutes, between which you take 5-minute breaks. Following a cycle of four pomodoros, you take a 15-minute break. That is loosely two hours of work with plenty of breaks in between. This technique is flexible for personal use and time limits are not set in stone: the framework remains that periods of focused work must be followed by proportionate breaks and so on. Due to the popularity of this technique among users everywhere, apps for both computers and smart devices and websites have been developed to be used as Pomodoro timers.
Sounds fairly easy in itself, but the Pomodoro Technique is about more than just dividing your work time-wise: it is about doing intensely focused work in said limited amount of time. It is often easy to waffle on with your work and take your time when in fact, tasks can be ticked off way quicker if you give them your undivided attention. In that regard, instead of trying to respect the time limits faithfully, you should be looking out to use the time that you do have as productively as possible – and concentrate solely on the tasks you choose to work on in that time.
For me at least, social media is the biggest distraction I face once I sit down to study and do some work. One way I go about it is by using the Forest app! It is a timer you set for however long you want to study, and a tree is grown in your virtual garden for that specific amount of time. If you use your phone in the meanwhile, your tree dies. After losing one tree to scrolling through Instagram, I felt too guilty to make the same mistake again! I usually time my pomodoros using this app.
Another good app is Tomato Timer, correspondent to the website with the same name. Both allow you to write yourself a to-do list before you actually start using the timer! But the clock app on your phone will work just as fine.
The main reason why I love the Pomodoro Technique so much is because it never fails to help me make a start on the work I’ve postponed for as long as possible. It tricks my brain into thinking that I will only be doing a tiny bit of work – compared to the unspecified amount of time I intend to spend studying, 25 minutes feels like nothing – which is all I need to get going. As I’ve said, the start is always problematic. If I pass that, I can do everything that comes my way right after. And the Pomodoro Technique has helped me cope with the one big academic weakness I’ve always had.
Have you tried the Pomodoro Technique yourself? If yes, how did it work out for you? I would love to read your input in the comments section below! If you haven’t tried the Pomodoro Technique yet, you should. Maybe it will work wonders for your academic performance!
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