How to Use the Pomodoro Method of Time Management

If anyone ever tells you they are “doing a pomodoro” they are almost certainly speaking about using a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo when he was a university student in the 1980s. Cirillo found that he could complete his work more efficiently if he used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (called a pomodoro) to remind him when 25 minutes had passed. He would stop what he was doing, take a 5 minute break, and then get back to work for another 25 minutes. The technique has been widely written about and promoted by self-help and time management gurus.

You don’t have to use the 25-minute interval; some experts suggest using other intervals, because we each have different levels of energy and different scheduling needs. But you still want to take a 5-10 minute break in-between tasks. The traditional recommendation is that you take a longer break of 15-20 minutes after each two hours.

Fitness experts will readily agree to this kind of schedule because they recommend that you step away from your work (especially if you sit down all day long) and take a brief walk. It can be a walk around the building, down the block, or just to and from the break room (but leave the bagels, chips, and cookies alone). Walking for a few minutes every hour is important for our physical well-being. It also breaks up the day and serves as a little reward mechanism for getting work done.

Advocates of the Pomodoro Time Management Method also suggest you should check off tasks from a list of things to do so that you feel a sense of accomplishment. This helps motivate you to continue working throughout the day.

Critics of the Pomodoro Method suggest that it actually wastes time and distracts us from important work. After all, you are constantly setting a timer and may have to stop to think of new tasks to complete (although this could be one of your 25-minute sessions). The criticism seems to be self-rationalized on the basis of who can successfully complete their tasks without relying on timers. In reality the Pomodoro Method may be a more suitable time management tool for people who are easily distracted, even for chronic procrastinators.

And we do use timed tasks in many forms of competition, where competitors are driven to use their time and energy as efficiently and productively as possible. So while we may not want our doctor to rush into and out of the examination room on the basis of a dinging little kitchen timer, we may want to work on our task completion skills in highly productive environments by timing ourselves.

When you practice completing specific tasks within set timeframes you train yourself to be more efficient and task-oriented. These are important skills for everyone to learn, and so the Pomodoro Time Management System may have many valid uses in everyday life, even if it’s not suitable for all professions and projects.