Pomodoro technique

The secret to effective time management is… thinking in tomatoes rather than hours? It may seem silly at first, but millions of people swear by the life-changing power to the Pomodoro Technique. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, and the inventor of this technique had a tomato shaped kitchen timer.) 

This popular time management method asks you to alternate pomodoros — focused work sessions — with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and stave off mental fatigue. 

The 25-minute work sprints are the core of the method, but a Pomodoro practice also includes three rules for getting the most out of each interval: 

1. Break down complex projects. If a task requires more than four pomodoros, it needs to be divided into smaller, actionable steps. Sticking to this rule will help ensure you make clear progress on your projects. 

2. Small tasks go together. Any tasks that will take less than one Pomodoro should be combined with other simple tasks. For example, “write rent check,” “set vet appointment,” and “read Pomodoro article” could go together in one session. 

3. Once a pomodoro is set, it must ring. The pomodoro is an indivisible unit of time and can not be broken, especially not to check incoming emails, team chats, or text messages. Any ideas, tasks, or requests that come up should be taken note of to come back to later. 

More information: https://todoist.com/nl/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique 

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