Productivity is one of the most valuable skills you can cultivate as an entrepreneur or employee. If you're able to perform your tasks quickly and with excellence, you'll be rewarded with bonuses, promotions, and job security in the long run.
But productivity can seem like an impossible goal at times. One of the simplest and most effective strategies to make it easier is to adopt the Pomodoro technique.
If you're looking for creative ways to become more productive, keep reading this blog on the Pomodoro technique that has been helping people get more done since 2006.
The technique is incredibly simple. Plus, there are several tips that can make it even more powerful. Before anything else, let's understand what Pomodoro technique is and where it originated.
How did the Pomodoro Technique originate?
The founder of the Pomodoro technique is Francesco Cirillo, a student of Milan, Italy, in the 1980s.
Cirillo had been looking for an easy way to keep on working for several hours, just focusing on one task after another.
One day, he invented a simple timer system that later became known as The Pomodoro Technique. Cirillo used his kitchen timer (Italian: Pomodoro), which divided work into 25-minute long intervals, called Pomodoro, separated by 5-minute breaks.
During each 25-minute interval, he put down his pen and worked without interruption until the bell rang. That meant it was time for him to take a short, 5-minute break. After three such 25-minute intervals, there was a long, 15-minute break – enough to eat lunch or have tea or coffee before starting again. This is what Cirillo called Pomodoro.
By 1994, he taught his method to over 200 students at Polytechnic University of Marche and Trieste, Italy, who gained significant results.
These days, lots of variations of using the Pomodoro exist, but all revolve around breaking up large chunks of work-time into smaller doses, with short breaks in between.
To get started, try picking a task you’d like to complete today, set your timer, then stop when you hear it ring! Watch out, you will not get distracted!
How does the Pomodoro Technique work?
The primary method is using a kitchen timer to break work into intervals. The timer is set for 25 minutes, and you must work until it rings, no matter what.
Once that interval is complete, you’re free to take a five-minute break. Then, when that timer rings again, it’s back to another 25-minute chunk of work.
Repeat for four rounds and then take a longer break if desired. Use an app such as Pomodroido or TimeOra to make sure you stick to these intervals.
You can start slow and increase your duration over time. You don’t have to follow any specific rules, so do whatever works best for you. Just be consistent about using any timing system for all your tasks. It takes some discipline to work in short bursts like that, but the rewards come quickly once you do.
How to apply the Pomodoro Technique?
When beginning with the Pomodoro technique, the only thing one needs is a timer. You just need to set your timer for 25 minutes. Once it goes off, get up and take a 5-minute break.
Repeat four times to complete an hour. Focus 100% of your attention on one task during those 25 minutes. Then once time’s up, get right back to work on whatever you were previously focused on.
After following this technique once or twice, your productivity will grow rapidly.
Yes, It is that easy.
But remember, a Pomodoro is a 25-minute period during which you work without interruption. It's essential to note that a Pomodoro is an indivisible unit of work which means if you're interrupted halfway by any other task or person, you either have to stop the Pomodoro there or let go of the distraction until the whole procedure gets completed.
Minimizing interruptions in this manner keeps you in the flow and allows you to become more focused and productive.
What are the benefits of the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique has been a valuable productivity method for decades, and there are several reasons it’s still as popular as ever.
For starters, it only takes 25 minutes to complete a session, meaning you can easily find small chunks of time in your day to work toward your goals. It also breaks up large tasks into manageable portions to finish projects quickly with less stress.
On top of that, researchers have found that people who follow time-management techniques like The Pomodoro Technique produce higher quality work and feel less stressed about their workload.
Researchers from Cal Poly also discovered that employees who used short breaks were happier and more productive than those who didn’t. They estimated that productivity levels increased by an average of 12% when using time management strategies like The Pomodoro Technique.
Another reason why The Pomodoro Technique is helpful is because it helps increase accountability; when you know exactly how much time you have left on your break or session, it forces you to stay on task without distraction.
Does Pomodoro help with time management?
The basic concept behind working in intervals is that it helps you divide and conquer a large task into small chunks of work which are highly effective for time management.
Most office tasks are repetitive, so breaking them down into 25-minute intervals makes it easier to focus on one thing at a time and get more done in less time. By knowing that you only have 25 minutes to complete the task you’ll find yourself highly motivated to accomplish your goals. This way, you can manage your time precisely and deliver better results.
Does Pomodoro help with employee productivity?
Yes! The Pomodoro technique helps employees work more efficiently and get more done during their workday.
By breaking up tasks into 25-minute chunks and taking a five-minute break in between, they stay focused for longer periods of time, ultimately cutting down on wasted time, resulting in more productivity throughout the day.
Best of all, Pomodoro is fully compatible with most productivity tracking tools to ensure your team stays on track while working. As you can see, it’s just as easy to use as it is effective.
If your team struggles with being unproductive at work, try encouraging them to use the Pomodoro Technique or find a productivity management software that can perform such tasks.
In many cases, employers are able to cut down on overtime expenses by investing in productivity tracking software that can track employee productivity. You should consider making an investment if you want to make sure your team works harder and smarter. You won’t regret it, and neither will your employees.
Conclusion
Any business, big or small, understands the importance of productivity. Productivity can significantly influence all areas of a company, from customer satisfaction to efficiency; both are critical for any business.
There are several productivity management strategies out there, but Pomodoro is one of our favorites. It's simple to use and easy to put into practice. The 25-5-5 rule makes employee monitoring easier than ever before, which results in higher results.
Do you know of any other techniques that boost productivity at work? Please let us know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!