Time management is something I geek out about as I’m constantly thinking about how I can free up more time in my day for the things that matter to me and I enjoy – time with family, friends, community, health, movement, learning, hobbies.
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One of the tools that I use the Pomodoro® Technique. It’s a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It is a structured method made up of processes, tools, principles and values to learn how to deal with time and turn it from a vicious predator to an ally to boost productivity.
In essence, it’s a system of 20 minutes of work, followed by a five minute break.
This can help us to retain information:
Primacy and recency is a key component of how we remember. The start and finishes of things.
Taking regular breaks creates more of these starts and finish
As such, we will naturally remember more.
Pomodoro’s creates a space for us as well to focus deeply, uninterrupted. Plus, it’s a small enough time that we don’t feel guilty about being offline or unreachable. What’s 20 minutes to be disconnected from email? It’s doable, and it helps me because at times we do feel that I need to be instantly reachable to help others.
If we aren’t used to deep, uninterrupted work, it can be quite exhausting, and also difficult to keep focus. 20 minutes is a great entry point as we build our focus muscles. Then we get to take a break to recharge. During this time, the mind can wander on different things. If could connect ideas, give you new insight, or reinforce some of your earlier thinking. Then you come back and start your next set of 20 minutes.
We can use pomodoro’s to advance bigger tasks by breaking it down into 20 minute sections. Perhaps it’s thinking about an outline, then writing an introduction, then proof reading. It can make tasks feel more doable and achievable.
We could also use this tool for various events through the day:
- plan the day, take a break
- answer a complex email, take a break
- review an outline, take a break
- do general emails
We do need to become comfortable that breaks can be productive. Taking a few minutes away from screen to make a coffee and disconnect can recharge us and allow us to focus deeper and advance work more than just powering through.
Free apps are available to download on PC and Mac, which will count down both your pomodoro and your break.
This is one tool available to us. We can combine with other techniques. We could do a morning of pomodoro’s if that is where your focus is and there have more of a distracted afternoon.
Combine this with time blocking your calendar so you have this uninterrupted space in your calendar.
It is important to note that this is another system for your toolkit. I don’t use this each day. Just when I have a number of intense tasks I want to focus on. Rather, it’s a great resource to have available when it’s suited for us to use.
We won’t want to use this when you are doing tasks that we can do without having to focus. Or if you are exploring and in the flow. Let time take you where you need to be.
In conversation, you need time to linger, for breaks, for changes in topics. You don’t want a 20minute timer for that.
You’ll understand over time the applicability for your own situations. It might be a heavily used tool or one that is there as needed for those unique tasks.
In the end, it is just a tool that is available to us. We still need to do the work required – write that email, do that workout, have that conversation.