A lot of people who read this blog work as as “Solopreneurs”. Outside of a regimented work space, and perhaps starting a whole new life as an entrepreneur, it is easy to let things slip. Especially in this modern world of never ending information blasts and notifications.
I’ve been learning more to use time as a tool, instead of being an enemy. Instead of seeing it as a deadline to stress about, how might you use it to keep you focused?
I found this very helpful in my own work, so when I learned of a similar productivity device, I was very excited to put it to work.
Introducing the Pomodoro Technique
Developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, the name comes from his kitchen timer that was shaped as a tomato (Pomodoro in Italian). He would set it for 25 minutes and singularly work on a task without interruption or distraction. After 25 minutes, he would write a check mark on a piece of paper to keep track, take a 5 minute break, then set the timer for another 25 minute block.
What this means in today’s world is to unplug, turn off notifications, social media, and everything else that keeps calling to you. Pick a task and give it that 25 minutes of pure focused energy. Do it, then stop when the timer goes off. Take a 5 minute break.
It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we give ourselves that focused time.
This article, for example, was written within a Pomodoro. Writing this article was the task I assigned it.
If your Pomodoro time was interrupted, then you would reset the clock and start a new Pomodoro.
You can pick as many Pomodoros as you want per day as a goal. I suggest starting slow. Start with 1. Then add more as you get comfortable with the technique and find the one that gives you the most output with least stress.
Ideally, you will find you can accomplish all your main tasks in a relative handful of Pomodoros, and not need to tie yourself to your desk for the entire day just because that is what we’ve been trained to do. I measure my work output in tasks accomplished not hours spent.
These days you can set countdown timers on your phone or apps. There is much discussion online about it (Search “Pomodoro Technique”) which I welcome you to explore but it doesn’t need to get any more complicated than this. That is the beauty of this technique.
How might giving yourself these blocks of Pomodoros boost your own productivity?
