In these days when everything is moving much faster, our efforts to catch up with time can make us feel like we have to race against time. So, is it possible to be a winner in such a race? It is possible if we change our perspective! What if we do not race against time and make peace with it? Because as we chase time, we become weak and unmotivated, and as we become aware of time, we slow down and become more productive. The Pomodoro Technique supports us exactly at this point. But how? So, if you are ready, let’s get to know this technique.
From Tomato-Shaped Timer to Pomodoro Technique: Can Work Performance Increase on a Cloudy September Evening?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time-efficient technique developed by software developer, entrepreneur, mentor and trainer Francesco Cirillo. The word Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian . So why is this technique called tomato? Cirillo named his technique Pomodoro in 1987, inspired by the tomato-shaped counter he used on a cloudy September evening while preparing for a sociology exam. This method, which was fully developed in 1992, has been taught to the masses since 1998.
Smallest Unit of Runtime
One pomodoro is a 25-minute work period. Cirillo explains this in his book The Pomodoro Technique as “The atomic unit of work time is a Pomodoro,” and after this work, we need to take a 5-minute break . After doing four Pomodoro, we can take a long break of 15 to 30 minutes and start doing 4 Pomodoro again.
You may be thinking, “Isn’t 25 minutes too short? Isn’t a 5-minute break too short? How can a long break be 30 minutes at most? I can work for 3 hours straight.” But the point we need to pay attention to here is to see that this technique is actually a technique for gathering the mind. Complicated tasks and approaching deadlines cause a knotted mind. Our aim with this technique is to calmly untangle these knots by focusing our minds on the action we need to take.
So, How Do We Untie These Knots?
We focus on the task we have decided on for the entire 25 minutes. In this way, we train our minds against the distracting effects of external and internal factors. During our 5-minute break, we also distance our minds from our work so that we can digest what we have done. For example, we can go get water or do a few small exercises, but we do not start another task during this process. In this way, we see that stopping is as powerful an action as being in motion. When the break is over, we continue from where we left off or from our new goal!
Will We Never Get Tired of This Technique?
Of course, we will get tired after a few Pomodoros. Cirillo does not deny this, but we do not get exhausted. This is a state of vigorous tiredness in which our awareness is high. Almost all of us are familiar with the physical and mental fatigue we experience after working for two or three hours without interruption, right? So why not give ourselves a chance to try new methods?
How Can My Pomodoros Be More Beneficial to Me?
First of all, a Pomodoro should not be divided, but this may not be possible at first. After all, we are just trying, and we should be understanding. Because as we apply this technique, our Pomodoros get much better. The best part is that our work can be completed in a much shorter time than we expected , and over time, we can even estimate how many Pomodoros our work will require.
As you know, this is a time management technique and in order to apply it in the best way, we need to know what we need to do today and be able to write them down in order of priority. If we have plans, we can manage them, but if we haven’t planned what we are going to do in advance, we don’t need to know what time it is. This is how our awareness of time starts to decrease, and we start to say that we can’t get to anything.
In addition, everything that is difficult and complicated stresses us more. Pomodoro also tells us, “How about managing time like this?” without stressing about time and without panicking when faced with a deadline. In this way, we do not race against time, we accompany it.
Then let’s come to another important point that will increase the contribution of our Pomodoro. Recording our Pomodoro. We can do this very easily with a counter, paper and pen, or by installing various Pomodoro applications on our electronic devices. For example, you can use applications such as Focus To Do, Forest , or you can choose to open a counter without using an application. To make the process more efficient, you can specify the number of Pomodoros you will apply to your agenda or notebook where you write a task you target, and you can tick them off as you do them. Then, you can see how many Pomodoros you completed that task and cross off your task.
The simpler we keep track of our plans and how we implement them, the smoother everything will go. For this reason, Cirillo suggests that we first follow up with paper and pencil, then try technological materials.
And the expected surprise ending!
I hope that this method, which we also use regularly, will be very enjoyable and productive for you. Life is a development process and any method that will allow us to enjoy the process while achieving great things is very valuable. We recommend that you read Francesco Cirillo’s book “The Pomodoro Technique” and learn about this method he developed from his own words.
While preparing this content, we used this technique to bring Pomodoro to you. Our Pomodoro article with 4 Pomodoro is here. 😊
References and Further Reading
Cirillo, F. (2019). The Pomodoro Technique: The Life-Saving Time Management System.
Pomodoro Technique | Learn more for productive work. (2023, August 12). Pomodoro Technique. https://pomodoroteknigi.com/
