What Is The Pomodoro Technique?
From Wikipedia “The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are named pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.”
What Is So Great About Pomodoro?
Using Pomodoro has changed the way I spend my time while developing software in many positive ways. It has helped me manage my time more efficiently and to get the most out of the time I spend on a task.
There can be a lot of distractions when you are trying to get things done. With emails and many types of notifications always in your face it can be hard to focus. Sometimes I look back on a day where my tasks did not get completed and I wonder where my time actually went.
Managing Time More Efficiently
Planning, as with anything, has been extremely important when planning out what I need to do for the day. I always write down what I plan to work on and estimate how many pomodoros (25 minute blocks) it will take me to complete each task.
When unexpected things come up, like support emails or bugs, I write them down and keep track of the pomodoros needed to get them taken care of.
In doing this, it helps me see what I have accomplished during the day and where my time was spent. This has also helped my time estimates be more a bit more accurate. Time estimates are hard.
Focusing On The What’s Important
Distractions can make it hard to focus on what you have planned for the day. With Pomodoro I have found that having work broken up into blocks with short breaks in between has helped me focus better.
Having a timer always visible reminds me to focus on what I am working on until the Pomodoro is complete. Once it is complete I can take a short break and check for any emails or messages that may have come in.
For me, stopping every time I saw or heard a notifications made it next to impossible to stay in a groove when writing code. Limiting these distractions to quick, scheduled times eliminated a lot of wasted time getting my mind focused on the task again.
Giving Pomodoro A Try
It took a lot of trial an error to find the tools that worked best for me. There are endless Pomodoro timers available and even software to track your daily tasks.
For me what worked best was simply writing down my work in a notebook and using a simple Pomodoro timer that I could keep visible on my secondary monitor.
Getting Started
Here are the basics of using the Pomodoro Technique in a few easy steps.
1. Decide What You are Going To Work On
Having planned out what you need to get done for the day makes this step easy.
2. Set Your Timer
Whatever method of timing you have chosen, set it for 25 minutes.
3. Work Until The Timer Rings
When the timer rings place a check on your paper next to your task to keep track of how much time you have spent on the task.
4. Take A Short break
Now is a good time to take 5 miuntes and check emails or get some coffee.
5. Every 4 Pomodoros Take a Longer Break
This longer break is usually 15 minutes to help you recharge and get ready for another 25 minute block.
What About Unavoidable Interruptions?
Sometimes there are things that will interrupt your pomodoro and there is nothing you can do about that. Maybe your phone will ring or maybe a coworker comes to your office with a question. So what do you do if you are in the middle of a pomodoro?
Pomodoros are indivisible so you have 2 options, postpone the interruption or abandon your current pomodoro.
Can The Interruption Wait?
Can you ignore the phone and call back after your pomodoro? Can your coworker wait until you’ve completed your 25 minute block? If so, continue until the pomodoro is complete.
If not, then you must abandon the pomodoro. Abandoned pomodoros are considered unproductive sessions and are not counted. This seems harsh, but it is meant to reinforce the importance of focusing on the scheduled block as much as possible and managing interruptions when ever you can.
Everyone Can Use A Little Help
Chances are, even if you consider yourself to be good at time management and do well at staying focused, you can benefit from giving the Pomodoro Technique a try.
It may take some trial and error to find the tools and method that works best for you but I think you will be glad you did.