Productivity 101: A Primer to The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique can help you power through distractions, hyper-focus, and get things done in short bursts, while taking frequent breaks to come up for air and relax. Best of all, it's easy. If you have a busy job where you're expected to produce, it's a great way to get through your tasks. Let's break it down and see how you can apply it to your work.

We've definitely discussed the Pomodoro Technique before. We gave a brief description of it a few years back, and highlighted its distraction-fighting, brain training benefits around the same time. You even voted it your favorite productivity method . However, we've never done a deep dive into how it works and how to get started with it. So let's do that now.

The Pomodoro Technique was invented in the early 90s by developer, entrepeneur, and author Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo named the system "Pomodoro" after the tomato-shaped timer he used to track his work as a university student. The methodology is simple: When faced with any large task or series of tasks, break the work down into short, timed intervals (called "Pomodoros") that are spaced out by short breaks. This trains your brain to focus for short periods and helps you stay on top of deadlines or constantly-refilling inboxes. With time it can even help improve your attention span and concentration .

Pomodoro is a cyclical system. You work in short sprints, which makes sure you're consistently productive. You also get to take regular breaks that bolster your motivation and keep you creative.

How the Pomodoro Technique Works
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: 

1. Choose a task to be accomplished.
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper

1. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
2. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

That "longer break" is usually on the order of 15-30 minutes, whatever it takes to make you feel recharged and ready to start another 25-minute work session. Repeat that process a few times over the course of a workday, and you actually get a lot accomplished—and took plenty of breaks to grab a cup of coffee or refill your water bottle in the process.

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:

1. Inform the other (distracting) party that you're working on something right now.
2. Negotiate a time when you can get back to them about the distracting issue in a timely manner.
3. Schedule that follow-up immediately.
4. Call back the other party when your pomodoro is complete and you're ready to tackle their issue.

Of course, not every distraction is that simple, and some things demand immediate attention—but not every distraction does. Sometimes it's perfectly fine to tell your coworker "I'm in the middle of something right now, but can I get back to you in....ten minutes?" Doing so doesn't just keep you in the groove, it also gives you control over your workday.

How to Get Started with the Pomodoro Technique

Since a timer is the only essential Pomodoro tool, you can get started with any phone with a timer app, a countdown clock, or even a plain old egg timer. Cirillo himself prefers a manual timer, and says winding one up "confirms your determination to work." Even so, we've highlighted a number of Pomodoro apps that offer more features than a simple timer offers. Here are a few to consider:

• Marinara Timer (Web) is a webapp we've highlighted before that you can keep open in a pinned tab. You can select your timer alerts so you know when to take a break, or reconfigure the work times and break times to suit you. It's remarkably flexible, and you don't have to install anything.
• Tomighty (Win/Mac/Linux) is a cross-platform desktop Pomodoro timer that you can fire and forget, following the traditional Pomodoro rules, or use to customize your own work and break periods.
• Pomodorable (OS X) is a combination Pomodoro timer and to-do app. It offers more visual cues when your tasks are complete and what you have coming up next, and it integrates nicely with OS X's Reminders app. Plus, you can estimate how many pomodoros you'll need to complete a task, and then track your progress.
• Simple Pomodoro (Android) is a free, open-source timer with a minimal aesthetic. Tap to start the timer and get to work, and take your breaks when your phone's alarm goes off. You can't do a lot of tweaking to the work and break periods, but you get notifications when to take your breaks and when to go back to work, and you can go back over your day to see how many Pomodoros you've accomplished over the day. It even integrates with Google Tasks.
• Focus Timer (iOS) used to be calledPomodoroPro , and is a pretty feature-rich timer for iPhone and iPad. You can customize work and break durations, review your work history to see how your focus is improving, easily see how much time is left in your work session, and the app even offers a star-based rating system to keep you motivated. You can even customize the sounds, and hear the clock ticking when you lock your phone so you stay on task.

These are just a few good tools to choose from. Don't hesitate to experiment with others, but remember, the focus of the Pomodoro Technique is on the work, not the timer you use. If you would like an actual tomato timer like Cirillo uses, this one is available for $7 at Amazon. Alternatively, you can buy a tomato timer and a copy of the book together from him directly. If you want Kindle or ePub versions of the book, grab them directly from Cirillo's store as well.

Who the Pomodoro Technique Works Best For

The Pomodoro Technique is often championed by developers, designers, and other people who have to turn out regular packages of creative work. Essentially, people who have to actually produce something to be reviewed by others. That means everyone from authors writing their next book to software engineers working on the next big video game can all benefit from the timed work sessions and breaks that Pomodoro offers.

However, it's also useful for people who don't have such rigid goals or packages of work. Anyone else with an "inbox" or queue they have to work through can benefit as well. If you're a system's engineer with tickets to work, you can set a timer and start working through them until your timer goes off. Then it's time for a break, after which you come back and pick up where you left off, or start a new batch of tickets. If you build things or work with your hands, the frequent breaks give you the opportunity to step back and review what you're doing, think about your next steps, and make sure you don't get exhausted. The system is remarkably adaptable to different kinds of work.

Finally, it's important to remember that Pomodoro is a productivity system—not a set of shackles. If you're making headway and the timer goes off, it's okay to pause the timer, finish what you're doing, and then take a break. The goal is to help you get into the zone and focus—but it's also to remind you to come up for air. Regular breaks are important for your productivity. Also, keep in mind that Pomodoro is just one method, and it may or may not work for you. It's flexible, but don't try to shoehorn your work into it if it doesn't fit. Productivity isn't everything —it's a means to an end, and a way to spend less time on what you have to do so you can put time to the things you want to do. If this method helps, go for it. If not, don't force it.

Integrating Pomodoro With Other Productivity Methods
Since the Pomodoro Technique focuses squarely on how you do your work and not on how you organize your work, it's just begging to be remixed with other methods and systems. 

For example, if you're a fan of GTD (aka, Getting Things Done), you can easily use GTD to organize and prioritize—and then use Pomodoro to actually get your work done. It also works well with methods like Kaizen, which emphasizes continual improvement over time, or Scrum, which demands flexibility in organization and priority, but still requires results. Many productivity systems focus on organization or specific tools. In those cases, the goal is to help you avoid forgetting things and prioritize your work. Pomodoro's focus is on making sure you make progress on your tasks, stay focused, and get things done without going insane. However, even though it plays well with others, resist the urge to over-hack your method and make it unnecessarily complicated. Pomodoro's utility is in its simplicity.

This Is How Successful People Manage Their Time

The Best Advice for Time Management

Farah's struggling. She's got a lot to do, and the day just seems to get away from her. The 40 minutes she spent surfing Instagram didn't help her cross items off her list, but it was the only break from work that she took all day.

Still, at the end of the day, she feels unsatisfied and downcast because she didn't complete what she had on her to-do list. Farah thinks she has a time management problem.

Farah's problem isn't time management. It's even bigger than that.

Remember a day when you got three times as much done in the same time frame on the previous day? You had the same number of hours on those days as you did on the 'meh' accomplishment days, right?

We all do. So what got you going on those high achievement days?

Focus.

What makes you focus? Something important you want to do, a goal you want to reach. What makes you focus is the impact you want to have.

Farah's big problem was that she wasn't clear on her intended impact, and she wasn't putting it into action.

I define impact like this: impact is where your amazing self meets the world and makes it a better place. It's about you doing whatever you can to be your amazing self AND it's about contributing to others and making a difference.

When you have your intended impact in mind, you can tear through things that take 3 times longer when you don't have anything in mind but profit or another item to cross off a list.

Impact is your big picture. Your vision for impact carries you forward, with focus. You're more motivated, you move through challenges more quickly, and you're happier!

Your business is made of individual days. They add up to create your business life. Life with impact is sweeter and better. And businesses with impact make more money.

Those are two of the many reasons I work with my clients on defining their intentions for having impact. With impact as your focus, you can manage your energy (and your time) in a way that lets you get things done.

When we worked together on this, Farah had a breakthrough. With her energy and her impact in mind, we created a new way of working for her:

• She set priorities that moved her closer to her intended impact.
• She limited those priorities to 3 a day.
• She did what was most important to her impact first.
• She challenged herself to get things done more quickly.

The result? More gets done. She feels more at ease, yet more accomplished. She has more impact.

Want to get more done? Focus on your impact. It'll carry you through big projects and small ones, as you make a difference.

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Simple Steps to Success: How to Own Your Zone and Unleash Your Genius

Have you ever found yourself asking:

“How do I work Smarter? Not Harder???

Wishing you had 30 hours in the day to get everything on your to do list done?

Wondering how you can grow your business without working 80 hours a week?

Or just plain flabbergasted questioning what needs to change so you can work more efficiently and effectively? When you get the feeling that you’re pushing rocks up hill, spinning your wheels and not reaching your goals, it’s a good time to pause and see what’s working, and more importantly, what’s NOT working to grow your business.

As you take inventory, look at all the aspects of your work that you LOVE.  You know, the parts that flow with ease, where time disappears and next thing you know it’s time to go home. Write all of those things down. Then, look at all the parts of you work that you dread, procrastinate doing or even stick your head in the sand to avoid doing those things.

Write all of those things down. Once you’ve created your two lists, then ask yourself:

'Of all the things on my Don’t Like list, what can I delegate, reconfigure or cross off the list all together?'  

Really looking at what’s vital for YOU to do, versus what could be done by someone else.  Then move on to your Do Like List, asking yourself:

'Of all the things on my Do Like list, how can I spend more of my time doing these parts?'

Be sure to notice how you feel in your body with each of the things on your Do Like list. The more it resonates in a good way throughout your body, the better.  You see, the things on your Do Like list, tend to be the place where you’re operating from your natural strength and talents – The place where it’s almost as easy as breathing.

It’s also often the place that we take for granted and think “well everyone can do that, can’t they?”

Truth is, that not everyone has your natural strengths and talents in these areas.  That’s why I like to call this place Your Genius Zone.

Your Genius Zone is the place from which you operate most effectively, efficiently and with the greatest amount of joy and ease.

Signs you’re in the Genius Zone include:

- You’re mentally and physically relaxed
- You’re confident and optimistic
- You’re focused on the present
- You’re highly energized
- You have a sense of extraordinary awareness
- You feel a sense of control and ease

The key is to learn how to operate more and more from your Genius Zone and less and less from the places of resistance that drag you down and drain your energy.

Once your clear on where your Genius Zone is, you can much more easily reassess your short-term and long-term goals, reconfigure roles and responsibilities, delegate tasks and make sure you have the right people on your team to compliment your strengths versus duplicating them.

This allows you to Own Your Zone.

And, when you’re clear on the natural strengths and genius of everyone on your team, then your team can begin to fire on all cylinders as well!

You see, as everyone is working from the areas that they do most easily and instinctively, their job satisfaction will go up as they too, get to work smarter not harder.  This creates a powerful ripple effect: as job satisfaction rises, so does productivity, which then elevates the customer experience. This naturally raises the perceived value of your product or service, which increases demand and with it so does your profitability.

Another way to look at it: as you own your zone and allow those on your team to do the same, you create a win-win-win.

Happy team = Improved results

Improved results = Happy clients

Happy clients = Improved profitability

Here’s to Owning Your Zone!

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Tony Robbins: Own Your Time

Very Powerful & gets to the point. Tony digs in here to make us think! Would love to hear what you think?

Busting the Myth of Multitasking

How to become more productive at work without burning out

Do you feel like you’re constantly busy at work? Do you spend all day completing tasks but still leave the office feeling that you haven’t accomplished anything? As Tony Robbins says, “Most people mistake movement for achievement.”

Instead of being obsessed with filling your calendar with activities, you must begin focusing on your desired outcomes at work and going after those goals in an effective, productive way. Adapt these dynamic solutions into your everyday routine, and you’ll accomplish more in the office and feel more fulfilled in your career.

Focus on what’s important

How many times each day are you interrupted at work? Some of these interruptions come from your own boredom — that’s why you’re browsing the Internet and checking your social media accounts. But there are other distractions that you have less control over, like responding to emails and attending meetings. One way to combat the seemingly endless stream of distractions you face at work is to focus each morning on what you can achieve that day. You can calculate your productivity by writing out what you did the previous day with an estimate on how long the task took. Include everything from when you woke up, what you did at work (including any distraction breaks) and what you did after work. This will give you a clear picture regarding what your day typically looks like. Look for items that carry into the next day, as well as any surprise items someone else asked you to do.

Once you realize which tasks needs to be done, think about why they need to be worked on, or what purpose they have in the overall scheme of things. You want to move ahead at your company. You also know you have a big presentation for a client coming up. What’s the outcome of delivering a great presentation? You’ll show your boss you are an ambitious, knowledgeable team member, and you’ll potentially win over a new client, which could ultimately lead to a promotion.

Then, cut down on the distractions you have control over. If you know you need to spend an hour working on your presentation, then you can’t spend 30 minutes browsing Facebook. Thinking about what drives your work will enable you to feel more focused on the things you need to accomplish.

Use effective time management solutions

There are productivity tools and resources that will enable you to become a master of your schedule.  Chunking is one effective method that can help you improve productivity. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the many tasks currently on your agenda, look at your schedule and see which items can be grouped together based on similar desired outcomes. Group together the items that will yield similar results. By sorting your activities into more actionable items, you minimize the length of your to-do list and makes the day ahead feel less overwhelming.

For instance, if you know you have to draft and respond to multiple emails to your colleagues and also set up a meeting with your manager via Outlook, chunk these items together. If there are things you need to handle after work, like picking up your dry cleaning, going to the grocery store, feeding your kids dinner and getting some exercise in, see if there’s a way you can put tasks together. Can you pick up a ready-to-eat dinner at the store while you get your groceries? Can you ride your bike to the dry cleaner in order to achieve your fitness goals? Categorizing tasks based on outcome and dealing with them all at once will make you feel more organized and help improve productivity.

Know when to say “no”

The most successful people in the world aren’t the ones who try to take on everything — they’re masters of time management who know what they should be investing their time in. You want to be viewed as helpful and productive at work, so you often say “Yes” to whatever’s asked of you. But over time, you’ll find you have too much on your plate. This creates stress and takes your focus away from the things you could be working on. Learn how to say “No” when a task doesn’t fit into your schedule.

Additionally, identify tasks that are necessary but aren’t helping you grow. Can you delegate these tasks to someone else at the office? By taking control of your time and dedicating it to essential items, you’ll learn how to cultivate productivity.

Build better habits

Lastly, it’s important to identify bad habits and work to build positive ones. If you know that you work better in the evenings, sleep longer in the mornings and stay at the office longer at night. Do you find that your brain functions better after exercising? Set your alarm early and hit the gym before heading into work. When you know what it takes for you to feel fulfilled and productive at work, try to cultivate the habits that allow you to feel that way. Identify the activities that make you feel powerful and productive, and allow yourself to do them as often as possible. Part of building good habits also includes taking breaks when needed. As much as you’d like to stay at the office all day, you can’t effectively work without regularly resting and recharging.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at work and stressed out by the sheer number of tasks on your plate, it’s time for a change. You can start by asking yourself the following question.

“How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I’m committed to?”  
Then, assess which habits enable you to increase your output while not overloading your schedule and keep working toward your goals.

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