Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro (/Po-mo`-do-ro/)simply means, tomato in Italian.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 20 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are called pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro, which means tomato. The method is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.

More information can be found at PomodoroTechnique.com, or just read about it on Wikipedia.

Six stages in the technique:

1. Decide on the task to be done
2. Set the pomodoro timer to 'n' minutes (traditionally n = 25)
3. Work on the task until the timer rings. If a distraction pops into your head, write it down, but immediately get back on task.
4. After the timer rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper
5. If you have less than four checkmarks, take a short break (3–5 minutes), then go to step 1
6. Else (i.e. after four pomodoros) take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your check mark count to zero, then go to step 1