Do you find yourself becoming easily distracted when you have to study?
Do you find that time just wastes away when you are working on an open-ended task (like writing an essay or studying for an exam?)
Do you wish you could be more productive so you can spend time doing the things you ACTUALLY want to be doing?
Today, I am going to share ONE simple and easy technique that can help you accomplish all of the above goals!
Best of all, you can start right now!
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is one of the simplest and easiest time management tools that you can help you maximise your productivity.
It was invented in late 1980’s by Francesco Cirillo, a now-famous entrepreneur and author who has popularised the technique around the world. You can find out more about him here.
The technique is based on using timed intervals to complete tasks, with a short break in between each interval.
Each interval is known as a ‘Pomodoro’, named after the Italian word for ‘tomato’. Supposedly Cirillo got the idea for the ‘Pomodoro’ intervals after using a kitchen timer that resembled a tomato whilst studying at university.
The Pomodoro Technique can help you study more efficiently, complete daunting (and seemingly endless) tasks and meet upcoming deadlines.
Best of all, it gives you more time to enjoy the other things in life (you know, like not working).
How to Use It
The beauty of the Pomodoro technique is it’s simplicity.
It doesn’t require any fancy technical equipment or expensive apps.
The only thing you will need is a timing device (e.g. stopwatch, clock, kitchen timer).
There are 5 steps involved:
1. Choose the task you wish to complete
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes
3. Work on the task until the timer rings.
4. Take a 5 minute break
5. Repeat Steps 1-4 until you have completed 4 ‘Pomodoro’ intervals. Then take an extended break of 20-30 minutes.
There are many variations on the Pomodoro Method but this is the original format.
The Evidence Behind It
There is a surprising amount of evidence behind the Pomodoro Technique. For example, this study out of the University of Illinois, which demonstrated that:
“…most papers treated attention as a limited resource that would get used up over time…but you are always paying attention to something. Attention is not the problem…prolonged attention to a single task actually hinders performance”.
Put simply, humans aren’t designed to concentrate for long periods of time. We become easily distracted and have difficulty understanding and retaining knowledge.
The idea behind the Pomodoro Technique is to maximise our productivity by completing tasks in short, sharp bursts as oppose to long stretches of time, where our concentration waxes and wanes.
By breaking up tasks into smaller chunks, we can concentrate more effectively for shorter periods of time, therefore, increasing productivity.
Limitations
As with any method or study or technique, there are limitations.
People often report that the Pomodoro Technique is ‘too rigid’ and doesn’t account for time spent on other urgent tasks that can appear unexpectedly during a day’s work.
However, if you remove the specific intervals of the Pomodoro technique, the founding principle is that short, frequent breaks can ultimately boost our productivity.
That’s the takeaway.
My Favourite Pomodoro Timer
I’ve been a huge fan of the Pomodoro technique for some time now and I’ve tried to scout out my favourite Timers.
Currently, I love using the Google Chrome Extension – Tide. Check it out here.
It combines the Pomodoro technique with some refreshing ambient music that makes work/study more enjoyable.
There are heaps of mobile apps and websites (some free, some paid) that are also available.
Final Thoughts
There you have it guys – The Pomodoro Technique in all it’s glory. Who ever thought a tomato could inspire a whole productivity movement.
If you liked today’s article, be sure to come back over the next few weeks, where I’ll be sharing some more productivity and study hacks!
Stay tuned!
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