The Pomodoro Technique

Have a difficult time keeping focused? Me too.

I remember during the midterm season when I was feeling extremely stressed, yet I was struggling with staying focused. I found myself scrolling through my phone and binge-watching Euphoria.

This is when my friend tapped me on the shoulder (in the middle of an Euphoria episode), and taught me about the Pomodoro technique (life-saving btw!).

What is it?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management system that encourages people to work with the time they have and is a popular time management method that asks you to alternate pomodoros, focused work, sessions, with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration.

How to do it?

Break your workday into 30-minute chunks each separated by 5-minute breaks. These intervals are referred to as Pomodoro. After doing 3 or 4 of the Pomodoro, you take a longer break of around 15 minutes.

Step-by-step:
1. Get a to-do list and a timer.
2. Set your timer for 30 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings.
3. When your session ends, mark off one pomodoro and record what you completed. 4. Then enjoy a five-minute break.
5. After four pomodoros, take a longer (around 15-minute break)

I suggest using https://tomato-timer.com/ which allows you to set times for each interval, and alerts you when each one is over.

Why do it?

The purpose of the Pomodoro technique is that having a timer makes working seem more urgent. Instead of thinking that you have all the time in the world to get things done, and end up procrastinating or distracted, you know that you have 30-minutes to make as much progress on the task as possible. Additionally, many of us often feel burnt out, having breaks in between, will help prevent this.

Thank me later ;)

Asia