There is a new time management technique out there that has the purpose of trying to help you to increase your focus and the effectiveness of your time spent on a particular project – it’s called the Pomodoro Technique. The concept of the method is simple, you know that the clock is ticking (literally) so you need to get as much done as you can, as quickly as you can. The documentation that describes the framework of the method is free – which is always awesome – and the resources needed to implement the technique are easy to get.
Okay, what do I need to buy?
There isn’t much required for the Pomodoro Technique, and you probably have everything you need already. Here are the required items:
- A timer of some sort, with an alarm or bell (kitchen timer).
- A sheet of paper.
- A pencil.
As you can see, this is a very recession-friendly method, as opposed to the expensive Franklin-Covey techniques that are well… worthless (ask me why), or more complex productivity systems.
How does it work
Okay, here is a quick down and dirty explanation. Wait, scratch that. I am just going to copy and paste directly from the site like so…
The basic unit of work in the Pomodoro Technique can be split in five simple steps:
- Choose a task to be accomplished
- Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
- Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
- Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
- Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
In essence, the more you use the method, the more focused over time you will become (in theory). This is pretty cool stuff.
That’s great and all, but does it work?
The short answer to whether this technique works or not is… yes. The long answer is that it does improve your focus and teaches you to work fast and effectively, but when are you going to be able to actually implement and practice the technique? I don’t know about you, but I have people craving my attention every 10 minutes at work, and it’s even more frequent at home.
My suggestion is that you try the Pomodoro Technique early in the morning when everyone is asleep, or late at night. That way you can devote as much time as you need to practicing it, as well as utilizing its effectiveness for whatever project you are working on (like that new youth ministry project).
Don’t get me wrong, if you are able to practice this – you will become more productive. However, you will need to have good time management skills prior to trying out, which is a bit ironic.
franklin covey, management technique, productivity systems, time management
Mark Alves
October 22, 2009 at 4:00 pmI find that a variation on this technique works if I have several projects lined up. Set the timer for a certain amount of time, get as much done as you can in that period and when the timer goes off move onto the next project. This forces me to make progress across a number of fronts and lets me know if a particular project is going to take longer — or sometimes less time — than I originally thought. The perceived pressure of the timer really works.
Dean Soto
October 22, 2009 at 6:16 pmOooh, see, I think that's a great way of implementing this method. Plus it allows you to somewhat multi-task (although I don't believe that true multi-tasking exists). The only downfall that I'd see to that method is that there may be a particular project that your gut may not feel is a priority. To some people that doesn't matter, but for people like me, I'd be hard pressed to work on something I don't feel needs to be done right away.I am very much a Parkinson's Principle guy. The shorter the deadline, the easier it is for me to focus. But, that's where the timer comes in I guess. I will try your method though this coming week and we'll see how it goes!Thanks Mark!!!