The Power of the Pomodoro

In the past, I have approached ambitious goals with a solid plan and still managed to get burned out before reaching them. Without a clear understanding of how the effectively measure success and use your time – becoming competent in any skill is virtually impossible. 

I’ve been fortunate to recently come across a technique that allows me to avoid burnout, while making consistent strides forward in skill development. I’m not an expert or creator of this approach. To learn more about the founder, check out the founder Francesco Cirillo’s website. It requires two things; a clear understanding of the broken down elements of the task at hand, and a timer.

If you’re someone that struggles to stay on point for hours at a time (which is most people that don’t have an effective time management skillset engrained in them), this might be useful for you to experiment with.

You’re going to give this goal your full attention for a set period of time, so get as specific as you can on what a successful attainment of the goal will call for. 

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• On paper, create as many boxes, which will represent 25 minute chunks of time that you’ll be spending on this goal.

• Clarify your outcomes: Break down a goal that you want to achieve, and the components that go into a successful attainment of that goal. 

• Set a timer for 25 minutes: This is how long you’ll be working at that goal with your full attention.

Before you get to work, it’s important that you remove all distractions. That means putting your phone on silent and out of sight, closing all irrelevant tabs on your computer, and so on. 

Then you get going! After every 25 minutes, get up and take a 5 minute break to reset – and make a mark in your Pomodoro box! Rinse and repeat, and you’ll be surprised by how much that you were able to actually accomplish.  

I love the versatility of this methodology, and the presence it demands. I use it mainly to integrate new skills into daily habits and assess my baseline for what I can actually accomplish in a relatively short amount of time. You can also use this for projects that require extended amounts of time and focus (writing a paper for example).

Time and focus are some of the most precious commodities we have at our disposal, and when I approach a project with the Pomodoro technique – I have to be deliberate with how I allocate both. So be sure to measure your success, assess your expectations, and develop your capacity and efficiency! Things that are worthwhile take time – and chunking work like this will give you a framework for how to best use that time.