Pomodoros & Productivity

Have you ever thought a tomato could help you be more productive?  Well, it can! The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Franceso Cirillo, has completely changed the way I think about a task at hand.

Sometimes looming deadlines can cause heightened levels of anxiety, and instead of spurring increased motivation and productivity, they can initiate a never-ending black hole of procrastination. Have you ever had one of those days during which you were so overwhelmed you just didn’t know where to start? I surely have, and its not fun. The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to breakup work into more palatable chunks. I, for one, am very guilty of being over-ambitous with my daily to-do lists and often get frustrated when I don’t get to everything. The Pomodoro Technique has significantly helped me with planning and setting more realistic timelines, which in turn, keeps attitudes positive and motivation levels high.

Watch the video for a quick run down of the components of the technique:

The book recommends setting a kitchen timer for each 25 minute pomodoro, but I’ve been using this web version of a tomato timer! Its perfect for when I’m on the computer for long periods of time, and it even has the option to time your breaks.

Personally, I’m still working on mastering the second step of the six, which focuses on internal interruptions. I often suddenly remember something I need to to do or think of something that seems terribly urgent in the middle of a task. Emails constantly popping up throughout the workday can seem oh-so-very urgent, but sometimes they can just wait until the end of your pomodoro. Chances are, if you break your thought process to answer emails right that second, you will take longer to reaquiant yourself with the original task at hand. I can only aspire to be a “Certified Pomodoro Master” when I get past all six stages.

I highly recommend trying out this work style. Take off on the road to increased productivity by getting the book (hardcover or ebook) here!

Has anyone else found success with The Pomodoro Technique as well?