Listen to this article
0:00/1:34
Listen to this article
0:00/1:34
Productivity
The Pomodoro technique – time management technique
Productivity
The Pomodoro technique – time management technique
Productivity
The Pomodoro technique – time management technique
Summary
The Pomodoro technique is a simple time management tool created in the late 1980s by a university student, Francesco Cirillo, and named after the Italian word for tomato.
This guide outlines this technique and how to best implement it, but in a nutshell, this is how to follow it:
Work for 25 minutes (setting a timer to indicate when the time is up)
Take a 5 minute break
Work for another 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break
After completing four 25 minute sessions, take a longer 30 minute break
Summary
The Pomodoro technique is a simple time management tool created in the late 1980s by a university student, Francesco Cirillo, and named after the Italian word for tomato.
This guide outlines this technique and how to best implement it, but in a nutshell, this is how to follow it:
Work for 25 minutes (setting a timer to indicate when the time is up)
Take a 5 minute break
Work for another 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break
After completing four 25 minute sessions, take a longer 30 minute break
Read this article
2.5m
How does it help?
Sitting down to work for 25 minutes at a time is a lot less daunting than sitting down to complete a task that may take hours, so initially, the technique helps with getting started on tasks.
Then, by starting and completing the first session, you are rewarded with a sense of achievement and with a short break. Having more frequent moments of recognising the progress you are making can help you to feel motivated. Without this, it is easy to feel as though you have only achieved something when the whole task has been completed.
With time, the technique can form the basis of a daily plan - as you complete a task, keep a note of how many sessions (or pomodoros) it took. Next time you have to do a similar task you will have a better idea of how long you'll need to schedule for it.
You also have 5 minute breaks to use to get through other, less demanding tasks, like responding to a message, posting something on social media or putting some washing on.
Can you adapt the technique?
Absolutely! It may be that working for 25 minutes doesn’t suit you, so instead, you could start at 10 or 20 minutes - whatever you feel that you can achieve. You may also want to take slightly longer breaks in between each task, or a longer break after 3 rather than 4 sessions.
The key is to be honest. Are you taking longer or more frequent breaks out of preference, or truly because that will help you work the best?
The breaks
It can be useful to have a list of things to do in 5 minute and 30 minute breaks, otherwise, you may use the time deciding what to do.
The idea is that these times should not be something that you'll struggle to break from, so watching 5 minutes of your favourite movie is probably less effective than making a cup of tea or doing some stretches. The 30 minute breaks offer a chance for meals, so scheduling them in can really boost your productive time.
The timer
Using the original kitchen timer offers the benefit of avoiding the potential distraction that using a web-based or phone app can involve, but any timer will do the job. There are also loads of different 'Pomodoro' tools that you can find online to try, just search for Pomodoro timers.
Read this article
2.5m
How does it help?
Sitting down to work for 25 minutes at a time is a lot less daunting than sitting down to complete a task that may take hours, so initially, the technique helps with getting started on tasks.
Then, by starting and completing the first session, you are rewarded with a sense of achievement and with a short break. Having more frequent moments of recognising the progress you are making can help you to feel motivated. Without this, it is easy to feel as though you have only achieved something when the whole task has been completed.
With time, the technique can form the basis of a daily plan - as you complete a task, keep a note of how many sessions (or pomodoros) it took. Next time you have to do a similar task you will have a better idea of how long you'll need to schedule for it.
You also have 5 minute breaks to use to get through other, less demanding tasks, like responding to a message, posting something on social media or putting some washing on.
Can you adapt the technique?
Absolutely! It may be that working for 25 minutes doesn’t suit you, so instead, you could start at 10 or 20 minutes - whatever you feel that you can achieve. You may also want to take slightly longer breaks in between each task, or a longer break after 3 rather than 4 sessions.
The key is to be honest. Are you taking longer or more frequent breaks out of preference, or truly because that will help you work the best?
The breaks
It can be useful to have a list of things to do in 5 minute and 30 minute breaks, otherwise, you may use the time deciding what to do.
The idea is that these times should not be something that you'll struggle to break from, so watching 5 minutes of your favourite movie is probably less effective than making a cup of tea or doing some stretches. The 30 minute breaks offer a chance for meals, so scheduling them in can really boost your productive time.
The timer
Using the original kitchen timer offers the benefit of avoiding the potential distraction that using a web-based or phone app can involve, but any timer will do the job. There are also loads of different 'Pomodoro' tools that you can find online to try, just search for Pomodoro timers.
Written by Tim Jones
Written by Tim Jones
0:00/1:34
Summary
The Pomodoro technique is a simple time management tool created in the late 1980s by a university student, Francesco Cirillo, and named after the Italian word for tomato.
This guide outlines this technique and how to best implement it, but in a nutshell, this is how to follow it:
Work for 25 minutes (setting a timer to indicate when the time is up)
Take a 5 minute break
Work for another 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break
After completing four 25 minute sessions, take a longer 30 minute break
Read this article
The Pomodoro technique is a simple time management tool created in the late 1980s by a university student, Francesco Cirillo, and named after the Italian word for tomato.
This guide outlines this technique and how to best implement it, but in a nutshell, this is how to follow it:
Work for 25 minutes (setting a timer to indicate when the time is up)
Take a 5 minute break
Work for another 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break
After completing four 25 minute sessions, take a longer 30 minute break
How does it help?
Sitting down to work for 25 minutes at a time is a lot less daunting than sitting down to complete a task that may take hours, so initially, the technique helps with getting started on tasks.
Then, by starting and completing the first session, you are rewarded with a sense of achievement and with a short break. Having more frequent moments of recognising the progress you are making can help you to feel motivated. Without this, it is easy to feel as though you have only achieved something when the whole task has been completed.
With time, the technique can form the basis of a daily plan - as you complete a task, keep a note of how many sessions (or pomodoros) it took. Next time you have to do a similar task you will have a better idea of how long you'll need to schedule for it.
You also have 5 minute breaks to use to get through other, less demanding tasks, like responding to a message, posting something on social media or putting some washing on.
Can you adapt the technique?
Absolutely! It may be that working for 25 minutes doesn’t suit you, so instead, you could start at 10 or 20 minutes - whatever you feel that you can achieve. You may also want to take slightly longer breaks in between each task, or a longer break after 3 rather than 4 sessions.
The key is to be honest. Are you taking longer or more frequent breaks out of preference, or truly because that will help you work the best?
The breaks
It can be useful to have a list of things to do in 5 minute and 30 minute breaks, otherwise, you may use the time deciding what to do.
The idea is that these times should not be something that you'll struggle to break from, so watching 5 minutes of your favourite movie is probably less effective than making a cup of tea or doing some stretches. The 30 minute breaks offer a chance for meals, so scheduling them in can really boost your productive time.
The timer
Using the original kitchen timer offers the benefit of avoiding the potential distraction that using a web-based or phone app can involve, but any timer will do the job. There are also loads of different 'Pomodoro' tools that you can find online to try, just search for Pomodoro timers.
Written by Tim Jones
Prior to co-founding Booost Education, Tim previously worked with neurodivergent and disabled students at various universities and trained as an assistive technology consultant with AbilityNet.
Written by Tim Jones
Prior to co-founding Booost Education, Tim previously worked with neurodivergent and disabled students at various universities and trained as an assistive technology consultant with AbilityNet.
