Pomodoro Technique (The productivity booster)
If a task or project seems too big or overwhelming, break it up so it can be completed over time. This is what I do with very time-consuming projects. For months, I had told myself I was going to work on a project, but I just never got around to it.
I realized I was unintentionally dodging the work because I knew it would be time-consuming and I didn’t think I had the time. After deciding to break the task up, I was able to get it completed in a single weekend. To motivate me to finish big tasks, I always choose a reward that I’ll obtain once the task is finished. It always doesn’t have to be a monetary reward.
Mostly I reward myself by taking an afternoon or morning of. Or, sometimes I treat myself to a nice meal or play football in the evening. When I was setting weight-loss goals for myself, I decided to reward myself with a professional massage when I hit a particular milestone.
I believe that rewards give us something to look forward to once we put in the effort and hard work.
As a university student, I also believe technology is a significant part of our productive lives. But it can also easily take our attention and interrupt us at every step we take in the form of messages, notifications, or reminders.
Technology hovers over me and every individual from the time we wake up to the time we sleep and become a challenge to maintain focus and deliver our best in trying to achieve our individual and organizational goals, including long-term goals.
I wasn’t able to manage my time, last week my Final Year presentation went wrong (As I was unable to compile all the stuff on PowerPoint) just because of mismanagement. But Amal Academy told me a unique and interesting technique, The Pomodoro Technique, and smartphones blamed for distracting us are the very same platform that is helping its propagation and practice.
Ever tried Pomodoro Technique?
The secret to effective time management is thinking in tomatoes rather than hours? It may seem silly at first, but millions of people swear by the life-changing power of the Pomodoro Technique. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. 🍅)
This popular time management method asks you to alternate pomodoros focused work sessions with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and stave off mental fatigue.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the late 1980s by then university student Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was struggling to focus on his studies and complete assignments. Feeling overwhelmed, he asked himself to commit to just 10 minutes of focused study time. Encouraged by the challenge, he found a tomato (Pomodoro in Italian) shaped kitchen timer, and the Pomodoro technique was born.
Though Cirillo went on to write a 130-page book about the method, its biggest strength is its simplicity:
- Get a to-do list and a timer.
- Set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings.
- When your session ends, mark off one Pomodoro and record what you completed.
- Then enjoy a five-minute break.
- After four Pomodoros, take a longer, more restorative 15–30-minute break.
For this experiment, the tasks that I chose a task to install a food clay pot for birds. I bought two pots last week, but I was completely unable to make time for installation. My mother was extremely angry with me, and scolding me on a daily basis just because I was not installing the pot on the balcony, Finally, I became frustrated and then Amal Academy surprised me with Pomodoro Technique, so rather than exasperating myself, I started installing pot after watching Video of Pomodoro Technique courtesy of Amal Academy.
Before implementing the Pomodoro technique, I bought all the necessary stuff that will be required for pot installation. I bought a packet of plaster of Paris, which will allow the pot to adhere to the balcony. I make a paste of it and set a timer of 25 minutes on my phone. But the only distraction was my phone, Initially, my fingers itched, reached for the phone to check notification, only to pull away, and then reached for it again a minute later, But I set Pomodoro boundary for myself to resist the hit of dopamine I got when I pick up the phone, however, I completely managed to resist it and started my work.
Finally, I have installed 1st pot in 10 minutes, and the other one in less than 10 minutes.
This experiment was great indeed, I was surprised to find that I actually really liked the Pomodoro Technique, and I think it lived up to its promises of making me more focused and productive. I’m planning on using it on those days when there’s nothing in my calendar. However, I’m curious to see how well it works for someone who regularly has a lot of meetings, phone calls, and other commitments.
