The technique is called this way because it was created by a university student who, in order to optimize his study day, proposed to read without distractions for a certain amount of time. When he achieved his objective, he expanded it. To measure time, he used a red tomato-shaped stopwatch (Pomodoro in Italian). That is why it is called this way.
How does the Pomodoro technique work?
This technique seeks to achieve prolonged periods of concentration without getting tired or stressed. For this, a stopwatch is used to manage the work and rest sessions.
If you want to implement the Pomodoro technique, we recommend you follow these steps:
- Divide your daily tasks and order them according to their degree of priority.
- Grab the first activity on that list and work with it for 25 uninterrupted minutes.
- Then take a five minute break where you can do whatever you want.
- Continue with the next activity for another 25 minutes, and again take a five-minute break.
- When you complete four 25-minute sessions, take a longer break (between 20 and 30 minutes)
- Resume the work cycle and perform the next session.
When the tasks are more complex, they can be divided into different blocks. If they are smaller and simpler tasks, they can be grouped into one.
On the other hand, keeping a record of the sessions makes it easier to control and plan the next schedules of activities.
In addition, for the operation of the Pomodoro technique to be successful, it is important to focus on the tasks and, during the productive period, avoid interruptions.
For this, before starting the day, it is essential to inform colleagues that you are in the middle of an important activity and that you will only be able to answer them or return their calls when the process is finished. It is also advisable to put the phone in “airplane mode” and disable notifications from social networks, chats and emails that can distract you.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Pomodoro technique?
Advantages:
- Improves time management facilitates the organization of tasks
- Avoid procrastination and anxiety during work.
- It improves performance as it allows greater concentration and breaks make tasks much more bearable.
- It is applicable to all kinds of projects.
- It focuses on a single activity and is compatible with other study methods.
- Reduce distractions
- Reduces professional burnout and prevents Burnout syndrome
- Simplify workflows and standardize processes
- It facilitates the control of the projects and allows knowing how much time each of them requires.
Disadvantages
The use of the Pomodoro technique also has some disadvantages:
- As it is an individual application methodology, it does not encourage teamwork
- It is inflexible and does not support creative tasks
- Many times five minutes of rest are not enough to recover energy, but that varies with each person.
In the case of wanting to apply this technique in a group, it can be coordinated so that the work sessions of the whole group start at the same time. In this way, there will be no interruptions and internal communication would be stimulated during moments of shared rest.
Tools to implement the Pomodoro technique
If you want to implement this technique, the first thing you need is a stopwatch. You can use a traditional one or a digital one like the Pomodoro Tracker, the Tomato Timer or the Pomello App.
On the other hand, in addition to timing your productivity, it is also important that, in order to optimize your time, you can also incorporate tools that simplify and automate your work.
For example, if you have a company or a venture, a management solution can save you up to eight hours of work per week.
These solutions also make it possible to automate many of the processes and access all corporate information through any device connected to the Internet, at any time and from anywhere.
Xubio, for example, is a platform that offers online accounting services, electronic invoice issuance, accounts receivable management, salary settlement, automatic inflation adjustments, merchandise stock control, and sales reports and financial data.
Finally, we can say that the Pomodoro technique is a methodology that helps to better organize your time. Its implementation not only optimizes results but also reduces fatigue and stress.
CEO and CO Founder of xubio (management software for SMEs).
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
