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Greater productivity with the Pomodoro Technique
While glancing through LifeHacker feeds
some time last week, my eye was caught by the headline "The pomodoro technique fights deadline anxiety
with a timer". Not having heard of the technique before
(although for all I know it may be old hat by now), and wondering
how tomatoes fight anxiety, I read further. If you have not heard
of the "Pomodoro Technique" before, I suggest you look at the Pomodoro
technique site which gives a full explanation of what it is all
about, and provides an e-book download (by the developer of the
technique - Francesco Cirillo) which explains how to apply the
it. So, last week I downloaded the booklet, and the Focus
Booster timer from the LifeHacker blog, and never gave it
another thought - until this week. I read through the booklet
in an idle hour, and my interest was piqued. Basically, the
technique is a method of increasing focus and productivity through
well planned, prioritised tasks which one works through in bursts
of twenty five minutes with a short break at the end of each
burst - a unit of measure referred to as a Pomodoro. (Pomodoro
is Italian for tomato and was coined because the original technique
was developed using a mechanical kitchen timer shaped like a
tomato.) Interrruptions, internal and external, are managed
so that focus is not lost in these work periods.
I thought I would give it a try and got underway three days ago. In these three days, I am astounded by my increased productivity! The differences between the way I usually worked, and the way I work with this technique are not great, but the subtle shifts mean that I have accomplished tasks that I have been putting off because they did not seem important or they were boring, I have done the work better and faster than I might have done otherwise, and the LifeHacker article was right - the timer really does decrease deadline anxiety - mostly I guess because the deadlines are met. The main differences are:
| Pre-Pomodoro | Post-Pomodoro |
| I always kept a list of tasks to be doneand the deadlines scribbled in a pad. Then, during the day, I would pick and chose what I would do next based on whim. Invariably, this meant that the interesting or easy tasks got completed, but the boring ones did not. | Tasks are prioritised and a time-table is set. As long as there is discipline in sticking to the time-table, all the tasks get done and none keep rolling over. |
| I usually allowed myself to be interrupted by phone calls and e-mail. Hence every task took longer than it should of because of the interruptions, the switching between tasks and the loss of concentration. | Ignoring phone calls and e-mails until the time allotted to deal with them means that tasks are completed rigorously and in a shorter time period. |
| I tended to procrastinate and get sidetracked with uninteresting tasks. | Interesting or uninteresting - all tasks are treated the same way - put them on the time-table and deal with them. Everything gets done. |
| I used to take a lot of breaks which I told myself I was using to think - I wasn't - I was using them to break the tedium and smoke. | The technique requires that you take frequent breaks. However, rather than thinking about what you are working on, you clear your mind. Much to my surprise, this has led to better concentration, not worse. |
The periods and breaks are timed with a countdown clock and for best results Cirillo suggests that the clock be audibly ticking. Fortunately, I work on my own but I can see this might be irritating to co-workers. As far as I can see that is the only drawback for now, and I am going to keep going with this for a while.
This blog took two pomodoros to write.