The pomodoro technique is said to be the way for better focus on your work
Italiamo is the site for every Italy lover. Even if you are not heading to Italy, they know how to bring the Italy feeling to you. Here you can read everything about the best pizzas, the undiscovered gems of Italy, but also about the pomodoro technique that would be the way for better focus at work.
When I walked into the editorial office last Monday after an appointment with loud noise, I was greeted rather doubtfully. What turned out? I made my entrance right in the middle of a ‘pomodorietje’. Our wonderfully chatty group was put on hold for 25 minutes when it came to talking, a silence that bore the name of an Italian tomato. Something we would do more often for focus, to which I wisely kept my mouth shut and consulted the internet for some much-needed explanation.
What is the pomodoro technique?
The internet taught me that the pomodoro technique is an effective way for more focus, learning to manage time, and setting priorities. The time management classic was invented in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, who is as Italian as a pomodoro. The name of the technique is also not pulled out of thin air, although it has less depth than you probably think.
Signor Cirillo had to study for an exam in ’87, but couldn't keep his head in the game. He challenged himself: can I work for two minutes without distraction? He took the test with a timer in the shape of... a tomato. When the tomato timer went off after two minutes, he claimed to have ‘won against time’. He experimented a bit by stretching the time further and ended up with 25 minutes as the ideal time for a work block. And here it is: there was the pomodoro.
This is how the pomodoro method works
Want to master the pomodoro technique yourself? You execute it in a few steps, and you need nothing more than two paper or online documents and a timer. It can also be a timer on your phone, although we do have a tomato in the office and Mr. Cirillo even sells them with a brand on it. This is how the pomodoro technique works:
- Write down all the tasks you can think of on sheet 1. They need to get out of your head and onto paper.
- Based on your inventory from sheet 1, create a task list on sheet 2. These tasks should not take longer, but also not shorter than 25 minutes. You write the tasks down based on priority. Those are your pomodori.
- Set your timer for 25 minutes and get to work. The first pomodoro is now a little competition against yourself that you must win in 25 minutes. When your timer goes off, you cross off the pomodoro and get a 3 to 5 minute break to feel satisfied and reset.
- After your break, you continue with your second pomodoro, a routine that you do a total of four times. After two hours, your competition is over. At least, sort of. You now get a 10 to 15 minute break to take a walk, chat with your colleagues, or whatever you can think of to squeeze into that relaxation quarter. After that, it's just time for the next four pomodori.
Our pomodorietje is more fun
‘Is the Pomodoro® Technique just the timer? No. The Pomodoro® Technique is not just the timer!’
So as simple as setting a timer that everyone keeps their mouth shut, it is not; the technique gives me more of a feeling as if I have been involuntarily sent on a military mission. So I think we had already lost focus in the office while reading the rules, and I am glad about that. 25 minutes of silence I find a more than fine plan. Being forced to focus during a two-hour work competition with yourself is less so. Besides: I once learned in my ADHD therapy that everyone has a different concentration curve, one that you need to listen to in order not to drive yourself crazy by forcing your focus. So I gladly leave it to you whether you go for our pomodorietje or for the official Pomodoro Technique©.
