Work Smarter 7: Focus with The Pomodoro technique
1 min read
In our series dedicated to help you diagnose your own productivity challenges, and work smarter: The Pomodoro technique.
This course will give you the skills to help you manage your time, focus and energy.
In our last session we covered how to regain Focus by creating ‘if-thens’: a guide you to handle distractions from your workflow. Today you will learn about a tomato-shaped kitchen timer used to stay focused on your work.
Did you know that a tomato can help with focus?
A type of if-then that bloomed in popularity all around the world is a focus tool called the ‘Pomodoro technique’.
The tool’s name is the Italian word for tomato, and comes from its creator, Francesco Cirillo. It’s based on a tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used to stay focused on his work as a university student.
As we’ve seen, staying focused on a single task can be really hard.
The Pomodoro technique means working within strict time limits.
Here’s how it works:
- If the Pomodoro starts, then spend 25 minutes focused on a task.
- If 25 minutes pass, then take a mandatory five-minute break.
- If you get interrupted (or interrupt yourself), then you have to start over.
Wrapping Up: try the Pomodoro technique for yourself
Think about where and when you could use this tool. Consider a single task that would benefit from a Pomodoro session and commit to trying it.
Next: The Kanban System
