The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are named pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.

The technique has been widely popularized by dozens of apps and websites providing timers and instructions. Closely related to concepts such as timeboxing and iterative and incremental development used in software design, the method has been adopted in pair programming contexts.

How to use Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is probably one of the simplest productivity methods to implement. All you'll need is a timer. Beyond that, there are no special apps, books, or tools required. Cirillo's book, The Pomodoro Technique, is a helpful read, but Cirillo himself doesn't hide the core of the method behind a purchase. Here's how to get started with Pomodoro, in five 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 (usually 5 minutes)
Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (10~30 minutes)

It's important to note that a pomodoro is an indivisible unit of work—that means if you're distracted part-way by a coworker, meeting, or emergency, you either have to end the pomodoro there (saving your work and starting a new one later), or you have to postpone the distraction until the pomodoro is complete. If you can do the latter, Cirillo suggests the "inform, negotiate, and call back" strategy:

Inform the other (distracting) party that you're working on something right now.

Negotiate a time when you can get back to them about the distracting issue in a timely manner.

Schedule that follow-up immediately.

Call back the other party when your pomodoro is complete and you're ready to tackle their issue.

Here are some of the videos that explain more and demonstrate the technique

Pomodoro Technique - Improve Studying and Productivity

STUDY WITH ME (with music) 2.5 HOURS POMODORO SESSION!

References:

Pomodoro technique homepage

Pomodoro technique wikipedia page

https://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730

Methodology vs technique and tool

A true methodology addresses the effectiveness side of the equation (Who, What, When, Where, Why), and a technique addresses the efficiency side (How to). Whereas a methodology defines the work environment, the technique defines how the work is to be performed. The two are obviously complementary and one does not eliminate the need for the other. But comparing one with another is like comparing apples with oranges, they are simply not the same.

Tools implement techniques. Tools provide mechanical leverage for performing a specific task. In this sense, it is an extension of a technique, and like the technique, tools must be deployed at the proper locations along the Assembly Line. This is the reason why many software engineering tools are failing; not because they are bad tools, but simply because companies have not defined their Assembly Lines (methodologies) and haven't specified when the techniques and tools are to be used - it.toolbox