Effective time management is essential for anyone looking to boost their output. However, where do you begin? The four elements of time management—planning, scheduling, monitoring, and control—are described in our article on time management. What if I told you there was a low-tech, low-maintenance time management method that simultaneously addresses all four? The Pomodoro technique is here.
The Pomodoro technique’s operation
In order to finish his job at university, Cirillo employed this method. Numerous websites and apps have now surfaced to replace that kitchen timer as a result of its widespread use in the commercial sector. How does it operate, then?
It’s easy. Set a timer for 25 minutes, choose a job you want to do (such as writing a blog post or resolving a particular bug), and work on it until the timer goes off. If you’re feeling retro, you could use a kitchen timer that looks like a ticking tomato, but it might not be the ideal option if you work in an open workplace.
Set the timer for five minutes after those twenty-five minutes are up. During those five minutes, what do you do? Have a rest.
I am aware. After just twenty-five minutes of work, a break? It sounds lazy. However, think about how frequently you dedicate twenty-five minutes to a single work. No messages on Slack. Don’t stray to Facebook. No small talk with coworkers. only the current task. You’ve already accomplished a lot and are prepared for that respite when it arrives. Ask Mark about his weekend, do some jumping jacks, or stretch your legs.
Just remember to write a little check on a piece of paper every twenty-five minutes. Why? You are eligible for a longer break after every four 25-minute work sessions. This extended pause could last anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes. This is your chance to tell Mark how your weekend went, take a break, or have lunch.
You have to go through the entire process again after that extended break. This is how that appears:
25 minutes of work
Five-minute break
25 minutes of work
Five-minute break
25 minutes of work
Five-minute break
25 minutes of work
extended pause
Repetition
That’s it. Quite simple, isn’t it?
If this seems a little difficult to manage, know that there are plenty of websites and applications available that make it easy to set a Pomodoro timer; these work best in an office setting. Let’s now discuss why it functions. Read more info here
The Pomodoro technique is effective for 3 reasons
It helps you stay focused.
Planning and scheduling are two of the most important aspects of time management that you may address by choosing your activity in advance and allowing yourself twenty-five minutes to concentrate on it. You can use it as a fantastic reason to focus, but be sure to tell your coworkers not to bother you.
You’re keeping extraneous tasks from intruding and diverting you since you’re giving each 25-minute time a specific assignment. Therefore, this strategy helps you focus your efforts rather than spreading yourself across too many things (and getting little done) if you have a large to-do list with a variety of chores on it.
You can do more with organized labor.
You must both prepare ahead and reflect if you are serious about time management. Before the day begins, you must decide what you will do. At the end of the day, you ought to be reviewing your accomplishments. You might schedule them in advance because the Pomodoro approach already aids in concentrating on one activity at a time.
Let me explain how I do it, though.
We arrange our days and learn about each other’s work at Unito through a daily asynchronous scrum. I always begin my day knowing what I need to accomplish since I do this first thing in the morning. After that, I employ the Pomodoro approach to ensure that I don’t focus too much on one work and neglect the others.
At the end of the day, I review my accomplishments and assess how I used my time. In essence, I’m transforming the Pomodoro technique into a time tracking tool such as Efficient Lab rather than just a focus tool. Read more info here
I may then make adjustments to my workflow to boost my productivity using this “data.” It would be better for me to write blog entries in the morning rather than the afternoon. Alternatively, I might want to avoid planning a blog post for a day when I have a lot of editing to accomplish.
It lessens the likelihood of distractions.
A five-minute break every half-hour doesn’t seem like a very productive practice on the surface.
Let’s be honest, though. How might the Pomodoro technique assist now that we’ve acknowledged the existence of these distractions and are willing to acknowledge that we all succumb to them? In addition to being designed with distractions in mind, it combines them all into one.
