What Is the Pomodoro Technique, and How to Boost Productivity with It?

In this article, you’ll find out how to improve your focus and boost overall productivity using one of the most popular time management techniques – Pomodoro.

Have you ever felt like you get too easily distracted throughout the workday? Do you perhaps struggle with procrastination and find it difficult to work on a task for an extended amount of time?

To help you stay focused and not get swayed by distractions, you could try out the Pomodoro technique.

What Is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Being a university student at the time, he struggled to focus on his studies, so he started using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to help himself concentrate.

The Pomodoro method works like this: you set a timer for 25 minutes and get to work. This one 25-minute unit of work is called a pomodoro. It is then followed by a short break. After completing four pomodoros, you take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The core principle behind the Pomodoro technique is to split your work into short bursts of focused effort, at the same time allowing for regular breaks to recharge and maintain the desired level of productivity.

What Makes the Pomodoro Technique Effective?

The advantages of the Pomodoro technique include increased daily productivity at work and the ability to complete tasks efficiently (especially those that you might otherwise want to procrastinate on down the line).

In those situations, you turn to Twitter or Netflix instead of doing them When you aren’t sure how to do certain tasks or they potentially involve a lot of uncertainty, you might turn to Netflix or other entertainment sites instead of rolling up your sleeves and diving into work.

This downward cycle can be broken by doing something small yet productive in terms of your job responsibilities for a short period of time instead of trying to take on some big project all at once.

Using the Pomodoro method, you break large tasks, projects, and goals into small tasks that require only 25 minutes of time. By the end, you’ll be more satisfied since you will have accomplished your goals.

Here are a few reasons why this technique helps with boosting productivity:

It makes it easier for you to get started on work tasks.

By reducing a task to a small first step, the Pomodoro technique assists with breaking the avoidance cycle. This way you can stay focused by breaking down big tasks, projects, and goals into easily manageable chunks. You are less likely to feel overwhelmed by the daunting enormity of your task, and instead you’ll concentrate on the next thing you need to do instead of worrying about the eventual outcome.
It helps combat various distractions.

The Pomodoro Technique aid you in teaching your brain how to improve focus by resisting self-interruptions. Your work gets divided into short intervals of time, every one of which is dedicated to a single task.
It shows you where your time goes.

The Pomodoro technique can be very valuable when it comes to avoiding planning mistakes, since when you work in short time-bound sessions, you can feel time becoming something rather real instead of an abstract concept. Aim to get a certain number of pomodoros a day with no interruptions of the chain. After all, it’s more fun to think about time in terms of tomatoes than hours!
It boosts your productivity.

The aim of the Pomodoro technique is to focus on consistency rather than perfection. The sessions (a pomodoro is similar to a focused event aimed at completing a specific task) allow you to take a closer look at your goal-setting strategies, overcome distractions, and gain motivation to focus on the work ahead of you.

How to Use the Pomodoro Technique at Work?

The Pomodoro technique involves working in short increments of time and taking regular breaks to ensure consistent productivity. By using the Pomodoro technique, you can focus on tasks and avoid distractions, thus becoming more efficient and responsible.

The following are the steps for you to take to get started:

List the tasks that need to be accomplished during the day.

Make a to-do list that consists of your tasks for the day before the start of your Pomodoro sessions. Listing your tasks, think about how much time you need to complete each task. As a result, you can combine tasks that will take no longer than 25 minutes in total.
Set your tracker to run for 25 minutes.

This 25-minute interval is your first “pomodoro.” It’s the interval that’s dedicated solely to work, and you should use it to tackle your task (or several of them) without interruption.
Concentrate on your work for the next 25 minutes.

Getting to this point could be considered the hardest part. Time yourself for 25 minutes and concentrate on the task you’ve chosen, not allowing yourself any interruptions.
Enjoy a short break of 5 minutes.

The breaks are just as important in the Pomodoro technique as the uninterrupted work time. Stop after 25 minutes and set another timer for 5 minutes. Go to the bathroom, take a quick stretch, get a drink or a snack – just don’t work during this break period.
Repeat the process 3 more times.

Once you’ve gone through four 25-minute pomodoros and taken 5-minute breaks after each of them, you can consider a full cycle completed.
Take longer breaks every 4-5 pomodoros.

Once you’ve completed a full cycle, take 15-20 minutes to rejuvenate yourself. Use your break period wisely and mentally prepare for the pomodoros you’ll carry on with after the break.

What Are the Tips for Implementing the Pomodoro Technique?

Overall, the Pomodoro technique is incredibly popular with time management partially due to its ease of use, so you shouldn’t really have much difficulty learning it.

Still, here are a few things you can do to make your pomodoros more effective:

Plan out your pomodoros in advance.

Take some time at the beginning of your workday to plan out your pomodoros. Take a look at your to-do list for the day and note how many pomodoros each task will take. If your workday is a typical 8-hour one, make sure the total number of your pomodoros for the day doesn’t go over 16. And if they do, postpone the least urgent or least important tasks for the following days.
Build overflow pomodoros into your day.

While an 8-hour workday does technically leave room for 16 pomodoros, it would be best to build in a buffer of a few so-called “overflow” pomodoros just in case. Use your overflow pomodoros for tasks that take longer than you’ve originally planned or for any unexpected tasks that may come up during the day. And if you don’t end up needing these extra pomodoros, use them for lower-priority tasks that always get pushed to the end of your to-do list. After all – it’s certainly less stressful to end the day with pomodoros to spare than to overschedule, run yourself into the ground and eventually fall behind.
Understand how many pomodoros you can fulfill in a day.

Over time, you'll get a better sense of how many high-quality pomodoros you're actually capable of completing in a single day. Trust us, it’s ok if you won’t be able to complete a full 16-cycle of them. Keep in mind that the majority of people aren’t actually productive for the full 8 hours during their workday. When it comes to pomodoros, challenge yourself, but remember – the focus should be on quality over quantity.
Experiment with the length of your pomodoros.

For some types of work that require extended periods in a creative “flow” state, such as writing or coding, an interval of 25 minutes may be too short. In these cases, you could try extended work sessions with longer breaks. On the other hand, for tasks that you’ve been putting off for some reason, 25 minutes might actually be too long of an interval. If you’re feeling a lot of mental resistance or just can’t get yourself to stay focused for 25 minutes, try a pomodoro of 15, 10 or even 5 minutes. Try mixing your intervals based on your available energy and the type of work you do.
Get away from your computer screen during breaks.

Not all breaks are equal. If your pomodoro work sessions happen on your computer, don’t just switch over to Instagram or Facebook when your timer goes off. Give your eyes (and brain) a break from screens: stand up, move around, stretch, go outside, grab a snack, or watch the clouds outside the window. Whatever you decide to do, your break will be much more mentally refreshing if you escape the hypnotic glow of your PC (and even phone).

How to Integrate the Pomodoro Technique with Kickidler?

The best way to implement the Pomodoro technique is to use work tracking software like Kickidler. In addition to allowing you to track your work and your break time, this tool can also help you stay on top of all your tasks and projects, as well as the time spent doing them.

If you are a business owner, manager, or team leader, our employee monitoring software can provide you with insights into the attendance, activity levels and overall productivity of your employees.

Kickidler can become an additional source of productivity both for you and your employees. By integrating the Pomodoro technique with our software, you can optimize your productivity, improve task management, and even achieve a better work-life balance.

In Lieu of a Conclusion

Managing your time is not easy, still, it can be done. The Pomodoro technique – while not perfect for everybody – can be a great way to start getting a grip over time management. Seeing how it is incredibly easy to get started with this method, there is pretty much no excuse not to at least try it.

The Pomodoro technique is a proven method for boosting productivity and maintaining focus in today’s fast-paced work environment. By breaking your work into manageable intervals and incorporating regular small breaks, you can increase your efficiency and lower the risk of burnout.

And with Kickidler’s help, the implementation of the Pomodoro method becomes even more effective, allowing you to take better control of your time and the tasks you need to do.

Ready to supercharge your productivity with the Pomodoro technique and Kickidler software? Try it out today and feel the difference for yourself!