Advice from Grandma: The Pomodoro Technique (with video!)

My grandmother was so smart. She was skilled in a lot of ways, but today we’re talking task management and getting into flow state. When I was young and “lollygagging” around, not getting my chores or homework (especially math!) accomplished, complaining about being bored, she’d set a timer. She had a tomato shaped wind up kitchen timer, and I was asked to focus on nothing but the task at hand until the timer went off. Surprise! It worked! The consistent “tick tick tick” reminded me to keep going, and I knew the bell would ring, and I’d soon be free to play. A few decades later, I still use a timer to help my ADHD brain focus on tedious work. Completion of the task in the allotted time becomes it’s own reward, and even the most monotonous task (laundry) can almost be fun if you think of it as a game.

 

Fast forward to my adventures in continuous improvement and lifelong learning, I’d been hearing about the Pomodoro Technique and about a year ago, decided to explore it. It’s the same idea as my grandmother’s timer trick! Needless to say, the Pomodoro Technique definitely works for me!

 

Let’s dive in!

 

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by a university student named Francesco Cirillo in the 1980’s. It was coined as a time management technique using a physical timer (the same kitchen tomato tomato timer I  grew up with!)

 

The name Pomodoro is derived from the Italian word for tomato, the shape of the timer he used.

 

Work is broken into 25 minute segments with a 5 minute break after each. This is perfect for scheduling your day, because it breaks the day into 30 minute segments to accomplish the greatest amount of work in the shortest period, then reward oneself with a break. The break is imperative to success. Taking regular breaks prevents burnout, and also allows time for reenergizing your mind and body, whether the time is spent connecting with others, taking a brisk walk, grabbing a snack, stretching, or meditating.

 

Ideally, you’ll know all of your tasks for the day and approximately the amount of time it will take to complete each. You can be even more efficient by batching similar tasks such as paying bills, responding to email, etc.

 

Having a goal for each Pomodoro interval is imperative. You can’t reach a goal you never made, and the feeling of accomplishment is worth the upfront planning!

 

Here are the steps:

 

  1. Decide on the task to be done.
  2. Set the Pomodoro timer for 25 minutes (or press PLAY on our Pomodoro video!)
  1. Work on the task, and nothing else. Do not multitask, do not touch your phone.
  2. End work when the timer rings and take a 5 minute break.
  1. If you have finished fewer than three timer sessions, go back to Step 2 and repeat until you go through the process at three times.
  2. After three timer sessions are complete, take the fourth session, and then take a 30 minute break. Once the long break is finished, return to step 2.

A sample morning schedule may look like:

8:00-8:25 plan your day [task 1]

8:25-8:30 break

8:30-8:55 [task 2]

8:55-9:00 break

9:00-9:25 [task 3]

9:25-9:30 break

9:35-10:00 [task 4]

10:00-10:30 break

10:35-11:00 [task 5]

11:00-11:05 break

11:05-11:30 [task 6]

11:30-11:35 break

11:35-12:00 [task 7]

12:00-12:05 break

12:05-12:30 [task 8]

Lunch!

 

Each session can be a different task or a continuation of one larger, more complex task broken into segments. If you are interrupted during any task segment, abandon the task, and reschedule for a future segment.

Always review your day at the end, consider what went well and what you’ll do differently the next day. Then, take a final segment to plan the following day (or do this during your first morning segment).

Music is a fantastic motivator,so I created some repetitive beats lasting 25 minutes to help you stay on track and upbeat through even the most mind-numbing tasks. Play it during any (or every!) Pomodoro segment, then celebrate with a break!

Check it out here:

https://youtu.be/cS5zgqLvqRA

 

In Service,

Becca

References

 

HTTPS://francescocirillo.com/products/the-pomodoro-techniquehttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1uwftv44H1z08Knb_yEjYCK9ObAIm6tkE

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