Italian Francesco Cirillo used a kitchen timer in the late 1980s, during his university days, in order to create an effective technique to increase his productivity in the studio. He called this technique the Pomodoro Method (tomato in Italian), which is now used in companies, in universities and schools, in sports training and also for personal tasks.
This time management technique is a tool to organize ourselves and to carry out the work and tasks we set ourselves. The pomodoro method consists of working in 25-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks. The process is repeated and, when you have four 25-minute blocks, you can take a longer break. This technique allows you to meet your objectives by investing the optimal time and effort to achieve the best results.
BENEFITS OF THE POMODORO METHOD
- Increases productivity
- Increases throughput
- Helps optimize resources
- You invest the necessary time, without overtime.
- Improves concentration
- Avoid procrastination
- Improves intellectual agility
- Strengthens memory
- Rewards the work done
POMODORO METHOD STEP BY STEP
Step 1: Organization
The first step in the pomodoro method is to choose which task or job to perform. Take your agenda or the application you use to organize yourself and allocate the necessary space to perform that task. Writing it down in a calendar is to have a global vision of the work and that helps you to commit yourself.
Step 2: Timing
To do the pomodoro method you need a timer in the format of your choice: watch, physical timer, digital timer on your smartphone or other device, etc. In this step prior to starting the task, we should also prepare what we think we will need for the next 25 minutes to avoid distractions. Before activating the timer, make a pact with yourself not to interrupt the work for the next 25 minutes.
Step 3: Concentration
It is time to leave all distractions behind and concentrate on the task at hand. For the pomodoro method to work, you must take each of the points very seriously, but especially this one. The 25 minutes of the pomodoro should be dedicated to the work you do exclusively and with full concentration, not to go to the bathroom, check your cell phone or make a coffee. If during this time you come up with a task to perform or any other idea, you write it down on a piece of paper and continue with what you were doing.
Step 4: Rest 5 minutes
After the 25 minutes of maximum concentration, there are 5 minutes of rest. Use this stop to take a break, disconnect and step away from what you are doing. Meditate, take the opportunity to go to the bathroom, stretch, have a cup of tea or whatever you need. If this time capsule is done well and you manage to disconnect, then this will help you to focus on the next 25 minutes without fatigue.
Step 5: Repeat another cycle
After the 5 minutes, comes another 25 minutes of work in full concentration. Continue with the task you were doing and, if you have already finished it in the previous pomodoro, move on to the next task. At the end of the 25 minutes, we will dedicate another 5 minutes of rest. You must chain pomodoros with their respective rests until you complete 4 cycles. So, when you complete a pomodoro, you will have worked productively for more than one hour.
Step 6: Long break
Once the entire pomodoro is completed, after passing the last 25 minutes, we can take a longer break of 20 minutes to clear our minds. During this time do not think about the work or the task you have been doing. Take the opportunity to eat something to eat, go out for some fresh air or whatever you feel like.
Step 7: Repeat as many pomodoros as needed
After the 20 minutes, start another pomodoro of four cycles with their respective breaks. Do as many as you need to finish the tasks you have set yourself.
It is important to respect each and every one of the steps and the established time. If it is not done in this way, the Pomodoro Method will not give you any results. So, concentrate for the 25 minutes, take the short breaks even if you don’t think you need them, and stop for the 20 minutes to disconnect.