The Pomodoro Technique
Boosting Focus and Productivity in Sprints
In July this year, the most amazing thing happened to me. I became a proud dad of a baby boy. It was scary and exciting, and if I say it's the best moment of my life so far, the statement would still lack enough energy to convey the experience fully.
Anyway, my wife and I had to take care of the baby on our own, as we couldn't afford to hire help.
So, to tell you it's been challenging would be a colossal understatement. He was born with an eye infection (all sorted out now) and is currently struggling with a bacteria that stuffs his nose and prevents him from sleeping normally. It's not dangerous, we are treating it, and it's improving quickly, but we have not slept well for the past week.
And, honestly, we haven't slept well for the past 3 months (surprise!). There's always something to worry about; being new parents, we worry a lot!
I am sharing all this because I work from home running my own business (I am the co-founder and CEO of an FP&A automation company called Magnimetrics). This means I am fortunate enough to spend the day around the baby and be able to help my wife. But it also means managing to get work done has become increasingly challenging.
I either had to spend more hours working and fewer hours having quality time with my family or figure out ways to work more effectively and be more efficient with my time. I opted for the latter and have tried dozens of time management methods, productivity hacks, etc.
By far, the one thing that has helped me the most is the Pomodoro technique.
So, I thought today I'd take you through this system, how it works, how to implement it, and what benefits you might expect.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
In the late 1980s, Francesco Cirillo developed a time management method to improve efficiency, productivity, and focus by splitting work into intervals, with short breaks between them. The traditional length is 25 minutes, with a 5-10 minute break afterward. There is also a longer break every four cycles, typically 20-30 minutes.
The technique was named Pomodoro in honor of the tomato-shaped timer Cirillo used to track his intervals (pomodoro meaning tomato in Italian).
What's the science behind it?
The Pomodoro Technique is not based on any scientific methods or principles. However, we can quickly notice the influence of some concepts from psychology and cognitive science.
We can observe a few psychological principles that support Cirillo's method.
Pareto Principle (or the 80/20 rule)
The Pomodoro Technique encourages us to focus on tasks in short, highly concentrated bursts. This somewhat aligns with the Pareto principle, which states that you can achieve 80% of the desired outcomes by focusing on the most crucial 20% of the work. When we work under specific time constraints with zero distractions, we tend to focus on this part of the task that moves the needle the most.
Limited Attention Span
For most of us, an attention span of 10-20 minutes is quite common. By splitting our work into 25-minute chunks, we avoid falling victim to our limited attention span but rather capitalize on it. Short, focused bursts of work also help us maintain high concentration levels and prevent mental fatigue.
Spacing Effect
The entire underlying idea of the Pomodoro Technique is to work in spaced intervals, separated by short breaks. The spacing effect is a psychological phenomenon that suggests we retain information better when we acquire it in multiple bundles over time instead of all at once. By taking regular breaks, we can enhance our memory and long-term retention of information.
Reward System Activation
Every time you complete a Pomodoro session, you also get a sense of accomplishment that activates the brain's reward system. Such positive reinforcement encourages continued productivity. Our brain starts to release neurotransmitters like dopamine, associated with pleasure and reward, reinforcing our behavior of doing focused work.
Reduction of Procrastination
By following the Pomodoro Technique, we benefit from a structured approach to tackling tasks, making them feel less overwhelming. Initiating a task is often the most challenging part, and breaking it down into manageable chunks reduces our tendency to procrastinate.
Mindfulness and Flow State
Focusing entirely on the task at hand during a Pomodoro session, we enter a state of natural flow, where we get fully immersed in our work. Such flow states have been linked to increased productivity, creativity, and a sense of fulfillment.
While there's no scientific backing behind the Pomodoro Technique, we can see how its design makes much sense when we look at other aspects of our psychology.
How to implement the Pomodoro technique?
The original technique has 6 steps:
Pick the task that has to be done
Set a timer for the desired Pomodoro duration
Get to work
When the timer rings, stop working and take a break
Back to step 2 until you complete 4 cycles (or 4 pomodoros)
Take a longer break
A crucial step in implementing Pomodoro in your workflow is to stay flexible. The Pomodoro technique is flexible by design. You can adjust the intervals and breaks based on your work type. For example, if you are booking similar bank payments, you can opt for a shorter work period of 15 minutes.
However, if you are a writer working on a book, you will probably see better results if you extend your interval to 60 minutes. The intervals would also highly depend on your attention span. How often do you lose focus and get distracted? If you get lost in thoughts every 20 minutes, pushing for a 40-minute work interval won't make sense.
When setting the premises for your personal Pomodoro technique implementation, you must figure out how to avoid all distractions. If you think of something else or something that comes up during your work interval, write it down on a post-it note and get back to it after completing your Pomodoro cycle.
Another essential thing about the technique is to write down and track the pomodoros you complete. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and makes you more diligent when you plan your next sprint/day.
We start by planning the tasks for the day, we track & record our pomodoros, and we visualize the results to reinforce our sense of accomplishment,
In my experience, implementing the Pomodoro technique is a very low-hanging fruit, but the results are pretty astonishing.
What are the benefits?
Now, Pomodoro sounds great and all, but what's in it for you?
I've just started a few weeks back and feel somewhat unqualified to give advice and make assessments with my limited experience with the technique, but I was so impressed that I couldn't wait to write about it. I will anyway.
So far, some pretty notable benefits have started to emerge.
Improved focus & productivity
Splitting my work in short, timed intervals has very successfully tricked my brain into being way more focused and productive. The work periods are short enough to create a sense of urgency but spaced with short breaks to unwind and avoid burnout. Pretty great stuff!
Reduced procrastination and improved time management
When you have only 20-40 minutes for a task and see the timer ticking, it's much easier to fight procrastination and get started on tasks. And we all know, getting started and getting into the flow is usually the most challenging part. On the other hand, to work under the premises of the Pomodoro technique, you would need to step up your planning. It took some initial setup, but it has completely changed my awareness of time, helping me decrease distractions and thus having to work less.
Boosted motivation and better work-life balance
The Pomodoro technique provides small doses of a sense of accomplishment after each pomodoro, which motivates me to continue working with increased vigor. By incorporating regular breaks, the technique effectively promotes prioritizing mental health. Taking short breaks regularly helped me think more about how much I work. Over the past weeks, I've made a conscious effort to work less and spend more time with my family.
Funny enough, by being much more focused and concentrated during the pomodoros, I have been able to reduce the hours I work but managed to keep my level of productivity.
Is it worth it?
I don't know why I left this section from the outline. I don't think there's anything else to say besides a simple "Yes."
The Pomodoro technique is a great tool that can significantly improve your productivity, time management, and overall well-being. However, as I mentioned above, it takes some practice to get used to it and figure out the best slot length for you. Also, it won't work for everyone and every job.
I don't think I'll keep doing it for too long, but I believe it's an excellent tool whenever things start to slip out of control.
I guess that's all for today. Leave a comment below (or reply to this email), and let me know if you've tried the Pomodoro technique and how it went for you. I am always happy to hear how others tackle world-life balance and other situations.
Thank you for making it to the end! As always, extra brownie points for those who share this newsletter with 1 friend. You'd be helping me grow and hopefully provide value to more people. You'd also make me feel more validated, which is a pretty nice feeling… 😅
Till next week,
D.