Do you have a habit of procrastinating your work? Are you not able to do your work at the right time and then regret that “I wish I had done that thing at the right time”? If you are struggling with these problems and want to manage your time effectively and efficiently, then this post is for you.

In this post, I am going to tell you about a time management technique, Pomodoro, that can improve your productivity and will help increase your focus. This technique is very effective for those who procrastinate or are too lazy to start their work.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

Pomodoro is a time management method in which work tasks are broken down into intervals of typically 25 minutes, called pomodoros, and a short break is taken between each Pomodoro, typically of 2-5 minutes.

So let us understand in detail how the Pomodoro technique developed, its history, the steps of the Pomodoro technique to practice it in our personal or professional life, and the advantages and disadvantages of using this technique.

How the Pomodoro Technique was Developed?

The Pomodoro technique was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, who explained how he created this technique on his website.

As a university student in 1987, Cirillo found himself struggling to stay focused on his studies and complete tasks and assignments. He was completely overwhelmed, and then he came up with an idea.

He went to his kitchen, grabbed a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato (Pomodoro in Italian), set the timer for just 2 minutes, and started reading his books. He found that this idea really worked and gradually increased the time and set the timer to one hour, but that was too much.

And after a lot of experiments, he realized that breaking his work into 25-minute intervals, with short breaks of 2-5 minutes in between, helped him to stay focused and motivated and improved his productivity.

Because the shape of the timer Cirillo used was like a Pomodoro(Tomato in English), this technique got the name Pomodoro technique.

Steps of the Pomodoro Technique

So here are the 6 steps that you need to follow to implement the Pomodoro technique.

1. Select the task or tasks that you need to complete.
2. Set Pomodoro timer, which is typically of 25 minutes.
3. Work on your task without any distractions, completely keeping your focus.
4. When the alarm rings, take a short break of 5 minutes.
5. Repeat this process 3 more times.
6. Take a long break of 20 to 30 minutes after the fourth Pomodoro and then return to step 2.

Pomodoro Technique Step 1 – Selecting Tasks

The first step of the Pomodoro technique is to select the task or tasks you need to accomplish. Your tasks can be short as well as big.

If the task is small, you have to complete it within 25 minutes, and if you have a bigger task to complete, you have to break them into smaller tasks so that you can set a target for every Pomodoro session to complete those smaller chunks of tasks and accomplish your overall goal.

Pomodoro Technique Step 2 – Setting a Timer

The second step of the Pomodoro technique is to set a timer, which is traditionally of 25 minutes. For this step, you can use any timer tool, such as any old-fashioned kitchen timer or mobile timer apps. If you are working on a computer, many browsers also have Pomodoro timer extensions, and There are also many online websites from where you can set up your Pomodoro timer.

The main purpose of this step is to ring an alarm after every 25 minutes as a reminder to take a break from your current task and follow the next steps of the Pomodoro technique.

Pomodoro Technique Step 3 – Working on the Task

The third step of the Pomodoro technique is to work on your task without being distracted or interrupted, having full concentration only on your task. Remember that Your attention should be on your task and not on the ringing of the alarm, which signifies the end of the Pomodoro session.

Pomodoro Technique Step 4 – Taking a Short Break

The fourth step of the Pomodoro technique is to take a 5-minute short break when the alarm rings to relax your mind and refresh your energy, which will help you be even more productive for the next Pomodoro session.

During these 5 minutes, you can do some activities like getting up and stretching your body, taking a quick walk, having a little conversation with someone, or meditating.

Remember to be disciplined and get back to your task after 5 minutes. This short break should not be the reason to procrastinate.

Pomodoro Technique Step 5 – Repeating

In the fifth step of the Pomodoro technique, you need to repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 three more times. In total, your 4 Pomodoro sessions will be completed.

Pomodoro Technique Step 6 – Taking a Long Break

In the sixth step of the Pomodoro technique, take a longer break of 30 minutes after completing your four Pomodoro sessions. If all of your tasks are completed, congratulations! You can take a break anyway. If not, repeat steps 2 to 4 after the 30 minutes break until your task is finished.