Time-Management Hack – The Pomodoro Technique

In today’s world, the constant quest for improved focus has become a little bit of an obsession not only for businessmen but also for many people overall.   

Sometimes it is not as easy as it might seem, to stay laser-focused on your tasks, getting them done without having a mental burnout. 

When I was browsing through the internet to see what techniques I could use to improve my everyday life and get things done, I came across the Pomodoro technique.  

Knowing a couple of words in Italian, I was wondering how tomatoes can increase my productivity and sharpen my focus. 

Let’s see… 

What is The Pomodoro Technique? 

The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most popular time-management techniques that was invented by Francesco Cirillo in the early 1990s.  

Yes, it’s been out there for a long time but become more popular now as people are trying to be more productive and not waste every day of their lives. If that makes sense. 

“Pomodoro” means “tomato” in Italian. And the reason why Cirillo named this technique Pomodoro is because as a university student, he used to track his work with a tomato-shaped timer. 

Funny, right?  

How does this time-management hack work? 

When you use this method, you set a timer for 25 minutes, and during those 25 minutes, you work on the task with 0 distractions. No scrolling through social media. No coffee break. No multitasking.  

All you need to do is to focus on one thing. 

After 25 minutes of pure concentration, you get a 5-minute break. Do anything you need to, grab another cup of coffee, reply to a message, or go to the bathroom if you need to.  

Then you start another 25 minutes of work. 

By the way, these 25-minute blocks are referred to as “pomodoros“. You complete 4 of them, and then you get a longer break for about 20 minutes. 

Then repeat as many times as you need. 

That’s it! 

What are the advantages of using Pomodoro? 

Depending on what task I needed to complete, I used to procrastinate (even when I’d already started doing the task), or sit and work for 3-4 hours straight thinking that I had all the time in the world.  

Neither of these two was effective because I couldn’t get things done or it took me much longer than I would plan. 

So the main idea behind the Pomodoro technique is knowing that there’s a timer set up, and it gives you a sense of urgency.  

Your subconscious mind gives you this instinct to make as much progress on a task as possible because you’ve got only 25 minutes. It leads to being hyper-focused. 

It also reduces mental overload and burnout, because you’re splitting up tasks into 25-minute blocks. 

Related content: How To Kick Your Productivity Up Notch with These 5-Minute Tasks

Step-by-Step Guide or How to implement time-management hack into your life

1. Choose what task you need to complete and set your timer for 25 minutes. 
2. Start the timer and focus solely on the task until the timer goes off. Just do it! 
3. Take a 5-minute break and start again. 
4. After 4 Pomodoros (or pomodori), you take a longer break of 20 minutes.  
5. You repeat this until you’re done with the task. 
6. Every time you complete a Pomodoro (25-minute time block) you mark a timesheet with an ‘X’. 
7. Implement this technique into your everyday life and see the progress!  

Tadaam! 

Do you want to increase your productivity? Download our free time tracking worksheet to help you stay focused and get things done!

Successful entrepreneurs who use the Pomodoro Technique 

Steven Sande, of The Unofficial Apple Weblog, created a great list of Pomodoro tools for iPhones, Windows, and Mac.  

Before applying this technique he said: 

“I found that sometimes I couldn’t figure out how to organize a single day in my calendar, simply because I would jump around to all sorts of projects and never get even one of them accomplished.”  

Another entrepreneur Tom Rath shares his experience saying: 

“Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.” 

Sue Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal, tried out Pomodoro along with some other time-management techniques and said: 

“It eased my anxiety over the passing of time and also made me more efficient; refreshed by breaks, for example, I halved the total time required to fact-check a column.” 

Free apps to help you use Pomodoro 

They are pretty much similar and all of them you can use on a free basis.  

Focus Keeper app – the app I personally use, is a timer that will track your productivity and pomodoros. You can set specific daily goals and rounds of productivity you want to complete. The app also generates charts that display your progress over 14 and 30 days. 

Marinara Timer – it’s a web-based app, that offers you 3 options: 

• Pomodoro – default 25/5 minutes timer 
• Custom – lets you tweak things to your liking 
• Kitchen plain one-time timer, where you set a time limit and it counts down to zero 

Be Focused – is an app that lets you combine a to-do list with the Pomodoro Technique. It also provides reports showing exactly where you spent your focus time each day, week, month, year, and even across all time. 

Focus 10 – is a simple Windows app that lets you set a Pomodoro timer on your desktop. 

My results 

It really worked for me, I stopped grabbing my phone or responding to any kind of distractions and started getting things done! 

I noticed that I started completing tasks much faster than I would’ve done normally.  

Well, I don’t think it works for everyone. Most people have their own technique that works for them most effectively.  

And it’s great! We’re here to help you achieve more and make your life as productive as it can be. 

But I can surely say that this time-management hack is worth trying! 

Thanks for reading!

Related content:

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80+ Things To Do Instead Of Social Media In 2021

Do you use any time-management hacks to keep you stay productive? Share share share!