I. What is this whole Pomodoro thing anyways?

     Pomodoro means tomato in Italian. A gentleman by the name of Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s  took a tomato timer (we call them egg timers in America) and realized the potential behind focus and small durations. The ramifications of this simplistic model are huge when looking at the possible focus gains that can be derived from this compact 25 minute span. When talking about this technique, a Pomodoro is considered a unit of work/time like a joule or a minute; it represents one 25 minute span of time where work is completed without interruption. After each Pomodoro, a 5 minute break is observed, and then another Pomodoro commences.

 II. How do we use this technique?

     Start with a task. Take the task in front of you and assign it Pomodoros of completion. Attempt to complete the task within the assigned Pomodoros. While you are interrupted during each Pomodoro, either by an external or internal interruption, place a tick on a piece of accompanying paper. Over time the focus during these 25 minutes sprints will be riddled with fewer and fewer interruptions. Soon the ticks on the paper will dwindle until tracking of the ticks is not needed.

      Why do we track ticks? Well, if you bring up an interruption, recognize it, then record it with a tick, you are relieving your mind from thinking about that interruption. If your mind can filter through these interruptions and dismiss them quickly, then focus can be placed back on the item of work that is most important. Plus, over time, these ticks can be analyzed to determine your focus, will-power, drive, and motivation.

III. How can this be integrated into an existing system?

     This technique is not standalone. It is fantastic and elegant, but it is not standalone. A system to track tasks and order them by importance is required. If you work on a task that you shouldn’t be working on then it doesn’t matter how productive you were at completing it. Also, when you work during Pomodoro you must know the next action item so that the full Pomodoro can be utilized. A unit of Pomodoro is meant for action. If you want to plan a Pomodoro to create a work breakdown structure (WBS) or a list of next action items (GTD), then that is fine. But a unit of Pomodoro should be used for nothing but work on a specific task. 

IV. Some things to keep in mind

     Put your phone on airplane mode or turn it off. Turn off your email system or your IM program. If you can, turn off the internet entirely so that distractions are kept to a minimum. Also, schedule these Pomodoros on your calendaring system. Make an appointment with yourself for 30 minutes to make sure that everyone is aware that you have a unit of work planned.

V. Do I have to buy a tomato timer?

     Granted, there are benefits to physical items (books for example), but the benefits to digital tools outweighs the benefit of physical items in this instance. Personally, I use Pomodroido, an app on my Android powered phone that keeps time, ticks away, and allows me to assign tasks to each Pomodoro. You can find a series of these on the internet and your respective app store, and I implore you to look to see what you find most beneficial.