The Pomodoro technique, aka the tomato technique, is a time management method created by Francesco Cirillo. It has become a wildly popular tool for writing, and it works very well as a time management method. The method can be used for anything you want to focus on. Many students use the technique as a way to pace reading.
- Choose a task which to focus on. This can be anything, for example an essay, writing a text, reading or even a bigger project.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes. You can use any kind of timer, the clock of your phone for example or a timer on your PC. There are also tomato technique applications available for computers and phones. Once you've set the timer spend the entire 25 minutes on uninterrupted work on your chosen task. Keep the 25-minute schedule even if it feels too short or too long.
- Work on your task for 25 minutes. If you notice yourself getting distracted, or you start doing something else, get back to the task at hand firmly but gently.
- Congratulate yourself for working. Once you've worked for 25 minutes, congratulate yourself. Great! You've made the first tomato. Keep track of the tomatoes you've made. Instead of a tomato you can draw a line or a cross, for example.
- Take a 5-minute break. Schedule breaks. Get up, drink a glass of water, walk for a moment, do something that feels like a clear break.
- Continue working. Keep working like before, time another 25 minutes. After that take a five-minute break. Once you've made four tomatoes (worked for 4x 25 mins), take a longer break. A good length for a longer break is 25 to 30 minutes. During the break you give your brain time to rest. Meanwhile your brain compartmentalizes the information you've produced. After the break start a new set of tomatoes.
