The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique (from tomato, in Italian) is one of the simplest techniques for attaining focus in our distracted world of work. Invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, it works like this: get a kitchen timer (Cirillo used the tomato-shaped kind). Set it for 25 minutes, and focus on working until it goes off. Set it for 5 minutes and take a break. Repeat. There’s more to it, but this is the core.

This may seem trivial, but it’s anything but. The philosophy comes from numerous observations of how our minds actually get work done, among them:

• We knowledge workers need short breaks to recharge our focus ability, or we lose effectiveness.
• It’s easier to ward off distractions if we see the timer ticking and know we’ve committed to wait until it rings.
• Breaks, too, need to be bounded in time so they won’t take over (ask any teacher).

And guess what? It works! Of course the exact times may be tweaked (in advance, not during the run!) – some claim the half-hour cycle is best, others swear by 90 minutes of work followed by 15 of rest. Whatever works for you.

These days you don’t need the physical timer, though you may well prefer it for its quaintness. There are software tools that emulate it – desktop programs, smartphone apps, even web-based services. Some of them add features, like tracking the tasks you worked on and showing your progress; for my part, I love the simple timer best.

Give it a try!