Have you ever stopped to think about what you are spending your time on? The rhythm of life, the rush, and the non-stop between work, family life and social life make you find yourself oversaturated with tasks and chores during the day today. That’s why if you feel overwhelmed by this situation or you think you can’t get to everything, especially in the workplace, you’ve come to the perfect article.
At OneHOWTO we want to give you the keys to learning how to optimize your time. Next, we will talk about the Pomodoro technique, a method that will help you manage your time so that you can be much more effective and productive. Do you want to know more? Take note!
What is the Pomodoro technique?
In the 1980s, Francesco Cirillo proposed a new method of managing work time, in order to help increase productivity by planning and executing different tasks. This method is known as the Pomodoro technique and got its name because Cirillo used a small kitchen timer that was shaped like a tomato (Pomodoro means tomato in Italian), and this method is also known as a tomato timer.
The purpose of the Pomodoro Technique is to help complete any task or activity, whether in a study, creation or work process, successfully and with maximum efficiency, without losing concentration or reducing productivity. How can it be done? Well, it has been shown that in order to better complete a task satisfactorily, it is necessary to divide it into small parts to focus attention on each one of them., without getting confused or distracted, without time to worry about anything else. With this premise, Cirillo during his student days began to divide his study tasks into small blocks, dedicating about 25 minutes to each of them, counting them with the kitchen timer. In this way, he could focus on each of the blocks completely during that period of time, this allowed him to be much more effective and productive.
How the Pomodoro technique is performed
Are you wondering what the Pomodoro technique consists of? As we have seen, the Pomodoro technique consists of dividing a task into blocks in order to dedicate full time to each of these issues, without distractions and focusing all attention on it in order to achieve much more successful results. Follow these steps to carry out the Pomodoro technique :
- Divide the activity into tasks.
- Once divided, you must rank them. That is, prioritize them and order them accordingly with their execution.
- Once the day is organized, you can set the timer for 25 minutes and run the method until the alarm sounds. The idea is to stay focused and work intensively during this period of time, avoiding any type of distraction.
- When the alarm sounds, you must write down or mark the task done and rest for 5 minutes, you can also set the timer with the countdown.
- During the short break, you can do whatever you want, except work on the next task.
- Once the break time is over, you must reset the counter to 0 and schedule your next 25 minutes of work, where you must tackle the next task.
- When you have completed four tasks or “pomodoros”, you can take a longer break, of about 15 minutes. Next, you’ll need to start a new block of four tasks.
What is the Pomodoro technique for?
As we have pointed out before, the Pomodoro technique is used to increase productivity at work and to be able to achieve daily goals and tasks more successfully and with better results. It has been shown that it is an efficient and effective method that brings several benefits to those who put it into practice. In aHOWTO we explain exactly what the Pomodoro technique is for :
Time control
The first thing you can achieve with the Pomodoro technique is to control your own time and manage it optimally, since the method consists of organizing, completing the task, taking a break, and starting again. The idea is to maintain concentration while you are performing the activity, avoiding distractions. In the event of an interruption, you should always use the information technique, that is, report that you are busy, negotiate and schedule an available time to finally carry out that management. In the event that the distraction comes from within (a WhatsApp message, an email, or a notification from a social network), you should write it down on paper to manage it during your break.
increase your responsibility
Through the Pomodoro technique, you can increase your responsibility and set specific goals for yourself. The idea is that at the end of the day you have been able to efficiently complete all the tasks you had scheduled for the day. This will help you have everything under control and be much more productive.
Improve planning
The main goal of the Pomodoro Technique is to help you not only reach your milestones but also keep track of them. Therefore, the main tool of this technique is planning, structure, organization, and hierarchy. Transferred to the workplace, this will allow you to complete your projects in an optimal and organized manner. What are these study modes looking like?
Reduces fatigue
When you have to do many things, it is normal that you end up oversaturated, tired, or fatigued. Through the system of blocks of work or study interspersed with short and long breaks, the Pomodoro technique helps reduce fatigue and back pain, reducing the exhaustion of the day and allowing you to be more active, both physically and mentally.
stay motivated
Finally, the Pomodoro technique serves to maintain motivation during the day, whether at work or study, since it is exciting to work against the clock in order to finish the task in the stipulated time. This excitement and adrenaline encourage you to work much faster in short periods of time. Outcome? You will increase your work capacity in less time. To help you even more, at OneHOWTO we offer you an article on How to motivate yourself to study.
How to apply the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique can be applied in many areas, but above all, it is basically used in two ways: as a study technique and as a method to increase productivity.
study technique
The Pomodoro method was born as a study technique, so its application and effectiveness in this area are unquestionable since it represents the ideal way to maintain concentration while studying. The basis of its success is the ability to cope with an extensive and heavy syllabus, breaking it down into smaller blocks that are manageable for the student. In addition, it is a way of structuring the agenda in small spaces of time, but of great intensity, in which you can concentrate 100%.
Thus, this study technique not only helps you to obtain better results but also reduces mental fatigue, since by introducing small pauses you avoid saturation and it allows you to make the study lighter and more bearable. In addition, the Pomodoro technique helps stimulate motivation, as it is a way of marking or crossing off tasks from the initial list. The Pomodoro technique is perfect to apply, especially in studies where the subjects are dense, with a lot of topics and information, and in which many hours of study are required, such as philosophy, history, or law, among many others. In addition, it is a perfect technique to face some opposition or prepare the selectivity. What do you think of these study techniques?
Productivity improvement
The Pomodoro technique is very effective for carrying out day-to-day work activities since it allows a greater number of tasks to be completed in less time and in a more organized manner. Sticking to this method of studying can have direct results on productivity, as it will be increased, but it will also make you aware of how much time you need to complete each task. To obtain an improvement in productivity, it is important to respect the Pomodoro and stick to it faithfully to avoid falling into distractions that can influence our concentration. If you remember any pending task during the Pomodoro, you can write it down so you don’t forget and manage it in another slot of time, without losing focus on the current task. For the Pomodoro technique to be even more effective at work, especially in creation processes or mechanical tasks, it is recommended to silence the phone, in order to manage calls during break time.
The Pomodoro method is effective in office work, to achieve a project, for a creative process, or even to organize household chores or any other activity that can be divided into small tasks. In addition, you can currently find different mobile applications that will help you control each Pomodoro.
And, if you want more tips on how to learn to study, don’t miss this OneHOWTO article. The study methods that we propose together with the Pomodoro technique will help you achieve the best results.
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