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This method can both help you get started and keep going on tasks you’ve been struggling to get traction on.  The approach involves short intervals of activity, coupled with breaks or rewards in between and review your progress at the end of each set of intervals. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Background

The original Pomodoro Technique was created by Francesco Cirillo, as a university student when he used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (called a “pomodoro” in Italian) to help him focus on tasks for specific blocks of time. He advocated blocks of 25 minutes, followed by a break as a way of getting going on tasks. Here’s how to put it into action:

1. Choose your Interval/Break approach

Duration: The classic interval length is 25 minutes with a 5-minute break, with a longer break of 15 minutes after a set of 4 intervals. 

Some people find it harder to concentrate for longer periods of time, particularly when the goal is challenging. In this case a shorter interval of 15 minutes with a 5-minute break, repeated 3 times, followed by a 15-minute break, might work better. 

Break-type: If the task you need to make progress on isn’t very rewarding you might find it more helpful to think in terms of a reward rather than a break. So, it could be a 5-minute breather with a cuppa, or it might be reading a chapter of your favourite novel, or a scroll on social media. Whatever you do, make sure it’s contingent on actually completing your task time.

2. Choose your task:

Work out what you want to work on. If you’re not sure what to work on, you can even use your first interval to work this out. The type of task might also influence your interval approach above as certain tasks might lend themselves to shorter timescales.

3. Get ready, set your timer and go!

Try to minimise distractions; consider closing email and putting on do not disturb settings. Then choose your timer (lots of options here, from physical to digital), set it for your first interval and get going. Once your interval is up, go straight into your break. 

4. Work > Break/Reward > Repeat!

Whichever interval/break/set length  you’ve gone for, keep working until you’ve completed one set (for example, 3 x 15-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks).

5. Review

When you get to the end of your pattern, take a longer break/reward. Then spend one interval duration reviewing. Don’t skip this: it allows you to see what worked and what didn’t so you can adjust for the next set. Potential questions for review include:

• • Did I achieve what I set out to? If not, why not?

  • What worked well?

  • What could be improved?

  • What have I learned about either the task or  my approach

  • How does this affect what I’m going to do next?

Top Tip

This technigue works really well with the Chunking down approach to goal-setting. Chunking down gets you bite-sized tasks that you may be able to complete within your chosen intervals. Find out more here.

Common mistakes

• Choosing and interval that’s too long. If you’re goingr to struggle to concentrate for that period of time, try going for something shorter.

• Not selecting a reward that’s sufficiently rewarding for the task you’re expecting of yourself.

• Not taking the reward or break at the time you’re meant to (often trying to make up for lost time)

• Skipping the review stage in order to try and get more done. This valuable reflection is what will enable you to get better and better at getting stuff done. Skipping it removes this potential to keep on improving.

Got questions or struggling to put this into practice?

Changing the way we behave is hard and sometimes complex. It isn’t just about learning new skills. Sometimes there are things we need to unlearn first. Building new mental and behavioural muscles takes time, just like it does when building a physical muscle. This is always easier with expert support. If you have questions or would like to talk about expert support, do get in touch: hello@redkitepd.com.