Productivity is something we’re told to strive for, with even our small amount of time away from work spent on side hustles or life admin.
But more and more, it feels like an impossible task, grasped only by the most successful among us – or those blessed with the most time.
No wonder, then, that we eagerly eat up any trick that promises us that out-of-reach goal of being a productive person.
Are some people destined to excel, and others simply unable to tick off tasks with ease?
Or are all the proclaimed productivity hacks actually worth trying?
One of the most popular tips in this field – dished out to anyone struggling to get stuff done – is the Pomodoro Technique. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
You may have heard of the Pomodoro Technique, named after the classic tomato-shaped timers by Italian university student Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s.
Cirillo tells Metro.co.uk: ’I had an exam that I needed to study for and I couldn’t concentrate for more than 30 seconds, because I had a lot of internal interruptions, from my mind.
‘I found a tomato timer and bet myself I could focus for two minutes. It worked.’
Cirillo then began to up the number of minutes until he found his sweet spot: 25 minutes.
This forms the basis for the Pomodoro Technique: you work for 25 minutes (one pomodoro) and you rest for five minutes. After four pomodoros, you take a longer break of around 15 to 20 minutes.
But that’s not all.
’While the timer is the most iconic aspect of the technique, it is not the main feature,’ says Cirillo.
According to Cirillo, those internal interruptions he experienced while studying are mere symptoms of the real problem we have with time, which, he says, is that ‘time is a human limit’.
So we need an ‘internal process’ to deal with such an existential problem.
To explain this process, Cirillo uses a toy dinosaur he keeps in his office, Dino, who is a metaphor for those internal interruptions.
Often, if you’re anything like me, when you set out to do a task, it’s almost impossible to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Enter: Dino (don’t worry, we’ll explain this more in a moment).
Some tasks, like emailing a colleague, aren’t urgent but, you think, it will only take a couple of minutes, I’ll get it out of the way.
Others, like starting that big project you need to have done in X amount of time, might feel more urgent.
But should you switch tasks? According to the Pomodoro Technique, the answer is no.
How to implement the Pomodoro Technique
At the most basic level, the pomodoro technique requires just three things: a timer, a pack of index cards and a pen.
Each index card will represent a new pomodoro. Here’s how it works:
1. Choose a task you want to complete and set a timer for 25 minutes
At the start of every pomodoro (25-minute interval) you write the task you want to complete on your card.
2. Focus on your chosen task/s for 25 minutes
If the task will take under 10 minutes, you can combine it with other small tasks.
If a task will take between 10 to 25 minutes, it should be the only focus for a single pomodoro.
If a task is likely to take longer than 25 minutes, it can be split up between multiple pomodoros.
3. Use an ‘unplanned card’ to organise interruptions
While working, you’re likely to encounter Dino.
This is important: whatever internal interruption your mind presents you with – maybe it’s calling a friend or responding to an email – write it on a separate index card, the ‘unplanned card’.
Once the pomodoro is over, and after your break, you can decide whether the tasks you wrote on your unplanned card are urgent, and therefore will be the focus of your next pomodoro, of if they can wait.
4. Tick off your pomodoro
At the end of each pomodoro, as long as you’ve managed to avoid distraction, cross it off.
Keep hold of your card to keep track of your daily, and eventually weekly, tasks.
5. Take a break
At the end of each pomodoro, take a short five-minute break where you rest completely.
Every four pomodoros, you should take a longer break of around 20 to 30 minutes.
Then repeat!
Why does the Pomodoro Technique work?
The reason the 25-minute system works, Cirillo says, is down to two forces.
The first is our attention span, which is known to last for around 14 to 40 minutes.
The second is the probability of being interrupted, which increases the longer you spend working on something.
For Cirillo, 25 minutes was the perfect balance for these two forces.
I tried the pomodoro technique for a week and here’s what happened
When I knew I’d be trying the Pomodoro Technique for a week I was intrigued but hesitant, because, to my core, I hated the concept of a ‘productivity technique’.
Unfortunately for my ego, it actually helped. I used the technique on only five out of the seven days (weekends are not for productivity, surely?) and this is how it went.
Day 1: Before my chat with Cirillo, I didn’t fully understand the technique. I wasn’t aware of ‘Dino’ or the unplanned card, so I was just using the timings to get me through the day. Obviously, internal interruptions were frequent and most of the time I’d let them carry me away, so I didn’t really see the point.
Day 2: After my call with Cirillo, things were much clearer. I was trying my best with the internal process and was successful the majority of the time. That being said, I would find myself forgetting about the unplanned card and becoming distracted. I also forgot to reset the timer on several occasions.
Day 3: Despite one or two failed pomodoros, day 3 was a success. The unplanned card gave me a solution to a problem I barely knew I had and I found myself much more focused with fewer internal interruptions during pomodoros.
Day 4: I managed to finish all my pomodoros without distraction, a huge success, and my unplanned card was definitely shorter.
Day 5: Another day of no failed pomodoros, day 5 definitely felt like a small turning point. This is because I felt I could estimate how long a task would take much better than before. I didn’t find myself squashing pomodoros and I rarely ran over the initial 25 minutes.
Obviously, there’s a long way to go, but I definitely plan to continue using the Pomodoro Technique going forward.
What are the benefits of the Pomodoro Technique?
- Ability to deal with interruptions effectively
- Reduced interruptions, eventually
- Ability to estimate more accurately how long a task or set of tasks will take, leading to more productivity over time
- Ability to see how your time is spent day-to-day, and where to cut back
- Motivation from seeing your daily accomplishments
Tips for starting with the Pomodoro Technique
Don’t keep working after the timer
Although it can be tempting to keep working when you’re *this* close to finishing a task, it’s usually going to take longer than you think.
‘Time is a delusion,’ Cirillo says. ‘You should always break after 25 minutes.
‘Usually, you’ll find that Dino pops up and reminds you of the other things you need on the task and it won’t be just five more minutes.’
There’s a rule in the technique that says if a task takes more than 10 minutes, you should spend the whole pomodoro working on it. For those last 15 minutes, you should spend your time improving on your work.
This, according to Cirillo, favours ‘over learning,’ which, in turn, favours productivity.
If a task really does only take around five to nine minutes, you can ‘squash’ your pomodoro, as in, reset the timer – but this shouldn’t happen often.
Don’t skip the break
It can be tempting to skip the break, especially when Dino is around.
But no matter how long your to do list, you have to resist the urge to keep working.
‘We’re not machines, we’re humans,’ says Cirillo. ‘We need to rest to allow out minds to reorganise our thoughts so we can come back to work with a clearer head.
‘We need to allow this process to happen but, for it to work, you need to promise to do nothing in those breaks.’
Don’t commit to a certain number of pomodoros
This, says Cirillo, is one of the biggest mistakes when people try the pomodoro method.
‘One of the most common questions I receive is, “how many pomodoros should I complete during the day?”’ he says. ‘Wrong question.’
‘We are not interested in how many pomodoros you completed during the day, we are interested in how many times you were able to deal those interruptions.
‘It is possible to force yourself to complete pomodoros, but this is exactly what you should not do.
‘Because the more you force yourself, the more Dino will show up.’
Keep your main cards on your screen
If you work with a laptop or computer, use an app to write your main cards on your screen, like sticky notes or a specific pomodoro app.
‘There are moments where we drift off and we lose sight of what we were supposed to do,’ Cirillo says. ‘When I look at my laptop, I immediately read my card, so I understand what I should be doing.’
Use an app
Using a specific pomodoro app can be extremely helpful.
The official Pomododro app, which is free on desktop, uses a specific timer and virtual index cards.
It even has a ticking sound, emulating a real tomato timer, which Cirillo tells me can also keep people focused on their tasks.
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