Maximize Your Productivity By Using The Pomodoro Technique
Time is the biggest constraint for humans. It becomes more crucial with the industrial revolution where everything was being calculated in terms of time and cost taken to produce something. To manage time efficiently and productively, Pomodoro is a technique known to few.
Since the advent of the industrial revolution, productivity has been calculated with reference to the time and cost involved. As the biggest constraint for humans, time is difficult to be managed efficiently. For this, it becomes necessary to use Pomodoro technique.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
With the growth of industrialisation, employees, as well as the employers, were concerned about time management to be effective and productive at the same time. Gradually, organizations were pushed to the limit where they were looking for ways to do things in less time. To address this concern, thinkers came up with various methods/techniques including GTD, Kaizen, Scrum, etc. Pomodoro technique is one such productivity and time management technique that addressed this persistent issue. Created in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, it has proved to be helpful to the people who have practised it.
Benefits of Pomodoro Technique :
- Time Management – Focusing on time management, Pomodoro technique comes with the ultimate goal of producing quality products through continuous progress. Timer plays a vital role in this process as keeping a record of time is essential. In this technique, time is divided into small slots of 25 minutes, known as Pomodoro sessions each followed by 5 minutes of break.
- Handling Interruptions – The idea of Pomodoro session is to encourage people to complete a portion of the given task in the first 25 minutes and then go for a break of 5 minutes. This helps in handling regular interruptions like phone calls, social media notifications, overlapping tasks, and pending deadlines, as all these are obstacles we fail to handle during regular working hours.
- Increased Focus – Practicing Pomodoro technique increases focus drastically, which leads to an increase in work output with better quality. With regular practice, one learns to concentrate on one task at a time without thinking about other pending tasks and any other distractions. By working in small time frames of 25 minutes, the practitioner inculcates a habit of better estimation of time needed for completing a particular task. This helps in better management of tasks at hand and the time in which they can be completed.
- Strong Will Power – Working in Pomodoro sessions strengthens the will power too. The practitioner knows that he is blocking himself from regular distractions just for 25 minutes, which is a relatively small-time. With regular practice, the practitioner learns to keep those distractions at bay for a longer time and concentrate on real tasks and achieving targets within the given time frame.
- Work with Time – One of the most significant benefits of the Pomodoro technique is learning how to work with the time and not against it. With practice, one understands the amount of work he/she can do in one Pomodoro session and makes the work schedule accordingly.
As Pomodoro technique helps in managing time and work, it ultimately brings to less stress and procrastination. This results in better work-life balance, stress-free mind and overall happy environment.
Different stages of Pomodoro technique:
Different stages of Pomodoro technique help in personality development of the practitioner.
Planning – Detailed planning of work at hand is vital for the Pomodoro technique. Thoughtfully planned Pomodoro sessions are a must to accomplish the to-do list. All you have to do is divide the work into small parts so that self-monitoring is possible within the session.
Tracking – Tracking the tasks to be completed during different Pomodoro sessions helps in measuring the progress. To track a task, keep everything that you need for the completion of the task handy. This helps in the reduction of the time wasted in gathering the required materials.
Recording – Recording what all tasks get completed at the end gives a sense of achievement to the practitioner. Keeping a track of tasks done in a Pomodoro session makes the tasks measurable. This also leads to a personal commitment to do one task at a time.
Processing – Processing all the completed tasks is crucial for the result. This asks for our devotion to one task during one session. Without a result, the task cannot be justified.
Visualization – Visualization of the amount of work to be done enables the practitioner to calculate as to how many Pomodoro sessions are required to complete the given task. This, in turn, gives a sense of ownership to the doer. For this, the practitioner must take breaks as they play a vital role in visualization.
Psychological benefits of Pomodoro technique:
Pomodoro technique plays a psychological role in alleviating work-related anxiety. It leads to:
Increased focus
Increased concentration
Clear thinking and rationality
Decreased the interruptions
Increased awareness of decision making
Increased motivation
Strong determination
Ability to do things within a time frame
Improved work results
Confidence to handle complex situations
Apart from this, the Pomodoro technique discourages multitasking and procrastination.
Following Pomodoro technique enables the practitioner to concentrate on the job in hand as there is a time limit attached to it. Developers, designers, and people who work in creative fields have goal-based targets. Pomodoro technique adds little fun to the boring tasks by giving a break every 25 minutes and after four sessions, a longer break of 20-30 minutes is allowed.
Delivering the desired output within the stipulated time frame is the soul of a business and short breaks that Pomodoro technique allows are good for its overall health. These breaks give the human brain chances to assimilate data in a better way and improve productivity as the practitioner feels less tired.
Though Pomodoro technique has few downsides too, it may prove to be a way out for the people who struggle in their day to day life for managing time. With proper planning, little practice and disciplined approach, this technique can prove a time management tool for achieving the desired results.