The Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro Method was first developed in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. Struggling to focus, Cirillo told himself to commit to one task for 10 minutes with a break afterwards. Realising how successful this strategy was, Cirillo developed it into the full method we know today.
The Method
The Pomodoro Method is broken down into 5 main steps:
Step 1
Choose a task or activity that you want to work on or complete. This can be any task or activity; it doesn’t need to be completed within the allocated time frame. Just something that you want to or need to currently work on.
Step 2
Set a timer for 25 minutes, this is the length of time that you’re committing to work on the selected task or activity. This is 25 minutes of dedicated focus time, no distractions.
Step 3
Work on the task or activity until the timer stops. A good tip is to not look at the timer to check to see how long you have left, wait until it goes off. Work as if there is no timer.
Step 4
Once the timer goes off, take a 5 minute break. This can be anything you like. This break is used to reset you brain after your 25 minute focus time, so that you’re ready for your next task.
Step 5
Start back at step 1 and choose another task to work on for 25 minutes. After you have done 4 Pomodoros (4 rounds), take a 30 minute break before starting the cycle over again.
Who would benefit from using this method?
This method is great for anyone who struggles to work without getting distracted, as you are only committing to focused work for 25 minutes at a time, it’s easier to manage being distraction free for a short period of time.
This method is also great for anyone who forgets to take breaks while working. The Pomodoro method tells you when to take breaks and when to work.
Why are breaks important?
Along with this method, I think its important to talk about why taking breaks are important and beneficial.
Quite often people will skip breaks and work through to try and get more done and to be more productive. However, this can have the opposite effect. Skipping breaks can result in physical and mental fatigue. This can impact your work through making mistakes, a lack of focus and can cause you to work at a slower pace.
Taking breaks refreshes your brain before you start working again, keeping your mind sharp so that you can continue working without losing focus or productivity. Breaks are important, please take them!
The Pomodoro method is a great tool for having a structured system for working on tasks. It takes the guess work out of when to take a rest, and breaks down focus time into smaller chunks of manageable time.
If you have tried using the Pomodoro method, let me know how it went and if it worked for you!
Emma