PRODUCTIVITY: THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE

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When I was in high school, I was taught that the only way to properly study was to keep working for hours on end, with only a break for a meal and to sleep. My productivity would peak at the second hour but by the fifth hour, I was metaphorically running on fumes. When university came along, I realized that this approach, the Marathon, may not be as effective. I didn't participate in many extracurricular activities but I realized I wasn't giving each course the time and focus it needed. This was especially evident when law school came around, and important case reading was either rushed or not fully absorbed into my knowledge. So I went out to find alternatives and found so many different productivity techniques. But the one that I've stuck with for years and years has been the Pomodoro Technique. 

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The most basic overview of the Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980's, is a time management system that breaks down work into intervals (the most common is 25 minutes with a 5 minute break, with longer breaks taking place after a set number of work cycles). Each interval is called a pomodoro, or tomato in Italian, referencing the tomato-shaped timer Cirillo used. It requires planning out the tasks at hand, writing them down and working on the task until it's done or the timer runs out. If the task isn't completely done when time runs out, take the break regardless! The Pomodoro is complete once you've finished the interval, and the creator encourages keeping track of the pomodoros by marking it down with an X beside the task. It's a good way to see how much time a task or a project can take while also making sure you get some breaks in.

I won't go into too much detail about the technique itself as I'm no productivity expert, but I'm gonna link a few things that can give you a better understanding of what the Pomodoro Technique is like: 

• Francisco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique website,  
• Lifehacker.com Article, and 
• Lifehack.org's Article 

There are many ways to study up on the Pomodoro technique, but all you really need to try it out is a timer and commitment.

My experience with the Pomodoro Technique

When I first learned of this technique, it was an eye-opening revelation. Like I stated earlier, I would power through my work or study load without stopping for anything other than necessity. It basically put my mind on a mini-schedule and focused long enough to work as hard as I could before the bell went off. I also had to learn that when it was break time, it was break-time and I could just stand up from the chair to walk around, stretch my legs and breathe a little.

In fact, I'm currently using it to write and research this blog post! I use to study for the bar exam (and the CPA Exam when the time comes around for that) and to do the more creative outlets while also taking the time to just be present. While I personally think that the original technique's a tad stringent in how it counts the pomodoros, I find this technique to be one that works for me when I'm creating or working on something.  It makes sure that the work is divided and spread into reasonable sprints of time while allowing for breaks. I also appreciate the fact that it's a simple, minimal system that anyone can try out.

That said, I don't really keep track of the pomodoros, as suggested by the creator, nor can I claim to have read his book as well. What I have is the surface level understanding and so far, it's been doing pretty good for me.

What I use

  

At home, I use a physical Chicken-shaped timer, pictured above, along with the Forest app for desktop. I found the time at TJ Maxx's Kitchen section a long while back, but it's been a nice little companion to have while I work. Any timer works for this for this technique, so long as you stick to the 25/5 or whatever work/break intervals you use.

The Forest app is a time-management app that basically applies the pomodoro technique while also providing an incentive towards productivity. For every work or focus interval, a virtual tree is planted in a little field for the day, which also generates some virtual currency. They also have a tree-planting program that when the user has a certain amount of virtual currency, the user can choose to "spend" that currency into helping Forest plant a real tree in the world. It's free, it has a Chrome extension and there's both an iOS and an Android version. 

Overall, I've had a very positive experience with the Pomodoro technique and continue to use this technique in the future.