The Pomodoro technique: a time management method

Productivity gurus of all sorts, ranging from Merlin Mann to the Flylady (aka Marla Cilley) recommend using a timer. 
Pomodoro, named for a tomato-shaped kitchen timer and based on working for 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks and a longer break every four sessions.
The key here is to promise yourself that when your 25 minutes is up, you can walk away and do something else.   Do a little bit of work, get a little bit of reward.  Even 25 minutes a day will help you see some progress and get out of the procrastination cycle. It increase your focus when you feel scattered, to break through distraction and to help ensure that you’re making progress on the things that really matter to you.

Cf. software programs with timers and stopwatches for Windows:

• GTD Timer
• Cook Timer
  

The Pomodoro technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and is a time management solution similar to other timeboxing techniques that many programming and collaboration teams have adopted. “Pomodoro” is Italian for tomato, and the technique is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that can be used to track your work sessions.
What sets the Pomodoro technique apart from other time management techniques is the 5 simple steps and the use of a timer (either a physical timer, like a kitchen timer, or a software timer on your computer or smartphone).
This technique uses 5 basic steps:

1. Identify your tasks to be completed
2. Set your timer to 25-minutes (or 1 Pomodoro) and begin working
3. When the timer ends, put a checkmark beside the completed tasks
4. Take a 5-minute break to rejuvenate yourself before the next work session
5. Wash, rinse, and repeat (minus the wash and the rinse)

After 4 consecutive Pomodoros (4 25-minute sessions, or almost 2 hours), you will take a longer break, say 15-30 minutes. After this break, you will repeat the normal process until your tasks have been completed.
Not only is the simple 5-step process easy to follow, but it’s also easy to remember. Because you’re not relying on a complex time management or productivity systems, you could theoretically apply the Pomodoro technique to any task throughout your day, even if you’re not at your desk.
To get started with the Pomodoro technique, I recommend that you read the free Pomodoro Technique Book that shows you all of the ins and outs of this useful time management strategy. The book talks about how to manage your schedule, cut down on interruptions, and even what to do when the phone rings and interrupts your Pomodoro session. The book reading takes around 1 Pomodoro session to complete. #

Cf.

• Time Management by Natalie Houston
• Real life Pomodoro by Belle Beth Cooper