MUNICH, GERMANY, December 21, 2022/ EINPresswire.com / -- Thinking of tomatoes instead of hours is the secret to proper time management. At first it may seem silly, but so many individuals trust the transformative power of the Pomodoro technique. (The Italian word for tomatoes is Promodoro.)
This well know time management technique requires to alternate focused work sessions – pomodoros –with intermittent short breaks to help promote sustained focus and prevent mental fatigue.

Use the Pomodoro Technique if...
- Experience small distractions that often get in the way of the entire work day
- Enjoy goal setting
- Continuously work beyond the optimum productivity point
- Have plenty of open work that could take up unlimited periods (e.g. searching for a blog post, studying for a test, etc.)
- Are very optimistic about how much it can be accomplished in a day

What is the pomodoro technique?
This technique was developed by the university student Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Cirillo was battling with completing assignments and focusing on his studies. Feeling exhausted, he decided to commit to just ten minutes of focused study time. Bolstered by a challenge, he found a kitchen timer shaped in the form of a tomato, and that gave birth to the name “pomodoro technique”.

Although Cirillo went on to write a 130-page book on this method, its simplicity is its greatest strength:
Get a timer and to-do list.

Set 25 minutes on the timer and concentrate on one task until the timer goes off. Fix the speaker to be always on time when using this technique.

When done with the session, check out the Pomodoro and record what have been completed.
Then take a five-minute break.

Take a longer, more restful break of 10 to 25 minutes after four pomodoros.
25-minute work sprints are at the heart of the method. The Pomodoro exercise also includes 3 rules for making the most of each time period:

Split complex projects: If the task needs more than four pomodoros, it should be broken down into smaller, actionable steps. Adhering to this rule will help ensure clear progress on the tasks.
Small tasks go together. Whatever task that requires less pomodoro should be combined with other simple jobs. For instance, “Make an appointment for the vet,” “Write a rent check,” and “Read the Pomodoro article” can all be put together in one sitting.

When the pomodoro is set, it should ring. A pomodoro is a unit of time that cannot be split, especially for checking team chats, incoming emails, or text messages. Any task, idea, or request made should be written down and brought back to a later time. A digital task manager such as Todoist is a good app for this, but pen and paper can get the job done.
In the inevitable interruption, take a break of five-minute and start over. Cirillo recommends keeping track of interruptions (external or internal) as they occur and thinking about how to prevent them at the next session.
The rule will apply even if we finish the assigned task before the timer stops. Use the rest of the time to learn or improve knowledge or skills. For instance, the extra time can be spent looking for networking opportunities or reading professional magazines.

Todoist advice:
Keep an “overlearning” project in Todoist with a list of tasks to quickly choose from next time and find time to spare from using pomodoro.
If the technique looks simple, it is because it is simple. The Pomodoro Technique is about putting our mind in the mode to finish the jobs.

What makes a pomodoro very efficient?
When it comes to helping people get things done, the arbitrary absurdity of using tomatoes as a substitute for time units make the technique effective. The following is what makes the method particularly suitable for increasing productivity:

Makes it easy to get started:
According to research, procrastination has nothing to do with lack of self-control or laziness. We procrastinate to prevent negative feelings. It’s embarrassing to stare at a big project or task, one involves a lot of uncertainty or that may not know how to do. So we turn to Netflix or Twitter to lift our mood, even if it’s just temporarily.
Fortunately, studies have also revealed an efficient way to break out of the cycle of avoidance: reduce whatever put off into a small, non-stressful first step. For instance, rather than sit down to write a novel, just write for only 5 minutes. If it’s still too difficult, try to sit down to edit one paragraph. Handling something small for a short period of time is much easier to deal with than trying to do a big project all at once.
This procrastination-busting technique is exactly what the Pomodoro Technique tells to do: break down big projects, tasks, or goals into something to do within the next 20 minutes. This keeps us focused on one thing that needs to do instead of getting overwhelmed by the huge nature of what task is being done. Do not bother about the outcome, just handle it one pomodoro at a time.

Fight distractions:
If you have ever been hindered when you were in a flow, know how hard it can be to regain focus. However, the constant flow of information arriving via team chats, emails, and social media notifications increasingly demands our attention.
While it would be a good idea to put the blame on technology for everything, studies done recently show that more than half of the distractions in the workday are human-made, which means we lose focus by ourselves. For now, it might be easy to justify these internal distractions: “It took me less than a minute to verify Twitter; “This email is too important to wait” it’s not really a distraction.”

However, these little interruptions add up! Not only do waste time on distractions, but it also takes energy and time to focus attention again on the task at hand.

Georges Godwill
PomoNow
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