Are you feeling overwhelmed about the tasks on your worktable and wondering how to complete them on time? Well, you are not alone. The good news is you can use an effective time management tool like the Pomodoro technique to enhance productivity and stay ahead of your peers in the workplace.
With the Pomodoro technique, you can focus on projects following a sequence comprising segmented work sessions and short breaks. These tiny work sessions with regular break frequency can improve productivity and cut down mental fatigue. This technique will help handle projects with team members for allocating workload sessions followed by short breaks.
What Is Pomodoro Technique?
This renowned time management system includes dividing priority tasks into 25 minutes followed by 5-minute breaks to enhance focus and support productivity. It was developed by an Italian named Francesco Cirillo while preparing for University exams in the 1980s.
Cirillo decided to use a tomato-shaped timer in his kitchen to allocate small study sessions with breaks to cope with productivity and time management. Eventually, he named the system the Pomodoro technique, as the tomato is called Pomodoro in Italian.
Top Benefits Of the Pomodoro Technique
1. Increased Productivity
The Pomodoro technique enhances productivity, as it helps you measure your daily accomplishments by following this method. It improves your planning ability to allocate tasks based on their significance, calculate the time required to complete and divide them into focused work chunks with well-paced intervals.
With this technique, you will understand the work areas that are your strengths and the zones you need to improve. So, accomplishing tasks is easier and quicker than before.
2. Reduced Distractions And Procrastination
Regular practice of the Pomodoro technique lets you exert control over time and prevent distractions, which can affect your productivity. If someone interrupts you during a Pomodoro session, you can inform or negotiate to postpone the distraction until it is complete.
There would be fewer instances of procrastination, as you will stay focused to complete a work session. Plus, this technique will teach you ways to avoid procrastination, as it can make you unproductive.
3. Improved Time Management Skills
With the Pomodoro technique, planning the whole week is possible, which would help achieve more tasks quickly. As soon as you have identified the functions of high priority for the week, add them to your schedule to initiate outline planning. Assign Pomodoro sessions based on the overall time or days required to complete the task. Allocate specific Pomodoro for every stage of the tasks to get it done perfectly way before the deadline.
Even though it might look like a lot of work, like outlining, planning, and allocation, it hones up your time management skills, making it a worthwhile investment. With time, you will improve at using the Pomodoro technique and knowing how much time and how many pomodoro specific activities would take to complete. This, in turn, would assure you the time available for a project is not underestimated or wasted.
4. Reduced Stress And Fatigue
As the Pomodoro technique motivates you to take breaks after a focused work stint, it helps keep anxiety, fatigue, and stress at bay. The breaks you take between the Pomodoros must not be considered lightly. It prepares your mind to deal with the upcoming process after an interval. The technique encourages the users to spend the break wisely by stretching, enjoying a stroll, or having their favorite drink.
Spending breaks on activities not related to work offers enough time for your brain to recharge after rest. To achieve better results, you can be involved in activities like yoga, meditation, or a mild workout to allow your mind to take a break from work. This helps you to feel more energetic, attentive, and focused after taking timed breaks.
In a study, participants adopt the Pomodoro method. They worked in 25-minute intervals with 5-minute rests. After completing four intervals, they take a 25-minute pause. The technique helped them alleviate the stress of long work sessions, targeting 11-12 daily rounds. (Source)
5. Enhanced Focus And Concentration
Focus is the focal point of achieving excellence in every task you handle. By applying the Pomodoro technique, you can easily handle even complex tasks within a very short period. Each Pomodoro work session helps you stay focused for 25 minutes, so your mind will be trained to concentrate on your work.
As there is an upcoming break at the end of every session, your brain will not be distracted within the work sessions. Plus, this Pomodoro technique trains you to keep all distractions from your colleagues or notifications from your phone at bay to achieve your work goals.
6. Increased Motivation And Creativity
Approaching the completion stage during every Pomodoro indicates your tasks are about to be completed. When you finish four pomodoro in a row and take an extended break for 20 to 30 minutes, such breaks become very exciting to take on the remaining work sessions successfully.
This excitement factor offers you enough motivation to work quickly and prevents you from slowing down toward the end of the project. These small bursts of inspiration accumulate with every pomodoro session and will help complete the work within a specific time. Staying motivated until a task gets completed is one of the significant benefits of the Pomodoro technique.
Tips For Getting Started With Pomodoro Technique
To start practicing the Pomodoro technique, follow the steps below to have a fruitful work session every time.
- 1st Step: Make a list of projects and tasks you need to complete, prioritizing them based on importance.
- 2nd Step: Divide the work sessions into 25-minute work chunks.
- 3rd Step: When the timer goes off after 25 minutes, take a break for 5 minutes. Repeat the process.
- 4th Step: After you succeed in completing 4 Pomodoro sessions, go for a long break for 20 to 30 minutes.
Best Practices For Using The Technique
Keep Distractions at Bay
To complete every Pomodoro session successfully, it is essential to limit your distractions. Try switching on airplane mode to prevent calls, notifications, chats, social media messages, and push notifications from disturbing you. However, when few distractions are beyond your control, Cirillo advises following a distinct 4-step approach to keep interruptions at bay.
1. Communicate with teammates, friends, and family
Before beginning a Pomodoro session, tell your close circle of friends and family that you will be busy and won’t be picking up calls. You can also inform them that you will get back to them as soon as you complete the project.
2. Negotiate
When a teammate seeks your help with a task, ask him for a specific amount of time to deal with it after completing your work sessions.
3. Setting Up Meetings
If your team has plans to come up with a meeting to discuss a pressing issue, then schedule appointments before your Pomodoro sessions. This will help you stay focused and complete the meeting on time while staying focused on the tasks.
4. Call Back
As discussed, call your contacts when the Pomodoro sessions are complete. This will let your teammates and family respect your working style while ensuring you are always there to help.
How To Customize The Pomodoro Technique To Your Needs?
1. Integrate Pomodoro Technique With Your Workforce
There are several ways of customizing the Pomodoro technique to ideally meet your specific productivity needs. You can select different types of work tasks and integrate the Pomodoro technique within your productivity team to get the work done quickly. Always remember when customizing the Pomodoro technique to cater to your work demands, the key is to identify a perfect work stint that meets your schedule and workforce personality.
2. Choose The Duration Of Work Sessions And Break Intervals
The Pomodoro technique is flexible in choosing the Pomodoro session durations and the number of breaks you wish to take based on your specific needs. You can also select the type of work tasks you want to utilize the Pomodoro technique for, as it will help you pay attention to the ones that need your immediate attention.
3. Utilize Mobile Apps And Timer To Monitor Productivity Levels
Yet another way to customize the Pomodoro technique is by using various tools and apps to monitor your productivity levels and time spent. You can find several Pomodoro apps and online timers available for free download to do the task. These apps are a great choice to ensure your work sessions are eventful. These apps also ensure the tasks are completed within a specific time.
Experiment With Workspace
The Pomodoro technique works best in a calm and quiet workplace, which is the key to improving productivity. The workspace might be a small space in your home or a quaint little office with significantly fewer distractions. Keep experimenting with different types of workspaces until you find the best one that perfectly fits your productivity requirements.
