Trying out The Pomodoro Technique

In the raging, aeon-spanning battle against procrastination, I am constantly on the lookout (while procrastinating, of course) for ways to improve my productivity and help me work more efficiently. This is how I stumbled on The Pomodoro Technique, and gave it a try.

The rundown

At it’s core, the technique consists of splitting your work in 25 minute intervals, with a 5 minute break between each interval, and a longer break (15-30 minutes) after 3-4 such intervals (pomodoros).

In theory, it should help you stay focused and productive, by timeboxing your tasks into undividable chunks and then help you analyze and measure your productivity in uninterrupted pomodoros.

The trick is, if you somehow get distracted during a pomodoro (either by other people or by yourself), that pomodoro no longer counts. Even if you happen to take “just a peek” at reddit’s homepage in the 23rd minute (although you and me both know there is no such thing as “just a peek” when it comes to reddit.com).

After the first few days with just a few finished pomodoros per day, you will do your best to avoid interruptions.

Will it help me avoid said interruptions?

No, it will not. It will only make the measure in which these interruptions affect you crystal clear, by showing you just how little actual uninterrupted work you do each day. The book does have an entire chapter dedicated to interruptions and how to handle them, and it’s a short read.

Is it worth it?

First of all, it’s not a silver bullet. There are no silver bullets. It all boils down to your own resolve in sticking to a pattern and work in a less chaotic manner. I find it worthwhile and plan to keep using it for now, for the following reasons:

Two pomodoros make an ideal work hour (hour of actual continuous work), which is just the right unit to use as a Story Point to measure User Stories in.
It helps with estimating and breaking down tasks, because it makes you split longer tasks into smaller, more specific and manageable units (more about this in the book).
It delivers what it promises: a mechanism to keep you focused and avoid … temptations.

So go ahead, give it a try, but keep in mind, it will be hard at first; it will hurt your feelings, and like with all things that shine a light on existing problems, you will be tempted to give it up pretty soon.

June 29, 2010 | Filed Under Development, Lifehacks

Comments

7 Responses to “Trying out The Pomodoro Technique”

Balazs Bohonyi
on June 30th, 2010 09:58

I’m using this technique and it helps me a lot.
You could give a try to Focus Booster to track your pomodors: http://www.focusboosterapp.com/
Victor Stanciu
on June 30th, 2010 11:07

Focus Booster is pretty cool, but I prefer sticking to Ubuntu’s timer applet, notebook and pen.
Ionut Popa
on June 30th, 2010 11:37

I’m using focus booster too, but i just can’t stick to the program, i guess too many interruptions.
Victor Stanciu
on June 30th, 2010 11:54

@Ionut: I know, it’s really really hard, I’m having trouble too, and it makes you realize how much time you lose each day. I guess the secret lies in perseverance.
Horia
on August 2nd, 2010 11:36

I’ve also been trying it for a couple of weeks and I find myself less tired after a day of work using the pomodoro tech. So I guess it’s for the best…

And I totally agree on the “makes you realize how much time you lose each day”. After you start using it becomes obvious where the time leaks are.

Keep up using it :)

p.s.: sunt curios de reactia colegilor tai in momentul in care ai inceput sa o folosesti (si probabil le-ai spus si lor cu scopul de a reduce intreruperile externe).
Victor Stanciu
on August 2nd, 2010 12:19

@Horia: I experienced the same thing. Although I do more work, quantitatively, I feel a lot fresher after a day’s work. And I manage to squeeze a whooping 7+ hours of work each day, which I didn’t thought possible before.

My colleagues were very understanding, and tried not to interrupt me during a pomodoro. When they wanted a word with me, they would just let me know about it, and we would have it during a later break.
The Pomodoro Technique – 6 months later : Victor Stanciu
on November 2nd, 2010 15:42

[...] 6 months ago I decided to try out the Pomodoro Technique, so it’s about time to document my findings. First of all, I cannot image going back to the way I used to work before. It seems too chaotic and disorganized now that I got used to the mechanical precision of the technique. [...]