citron

pomodoro

short break

long break

citron

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It uses a timer to break work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student.

How do I use the timer?

  1. pick a task to work on
  2. start the timer and focus on the task for 25 minutes
  3. take a break for 5 or 15 minutes when the timer finishes
  4. repeat until the task is finished

What is the benefit of the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique helps you resist all of those self-interruptions and re-train your brains to focus. Each pomodoro is dedicated to one task and each break is a chance to reset and bring your attention back to what you should be working on.

Why does it work?

A 25-minute Pomodoro session is long enough to get a little work done but not so long that it feels painful or overwhelming. Unlike trying to work without a break for hours, it's relatively easy to stack small sessions on top of each other. Four Pomodoro sessions can represent a productive morning. It's surprising how much you can accomplish in short bursts of focused work. After that, it's time for lunch or even a nap.