This technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in 1992 and is now used by professionals in various fields, including systems development.
Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, so if you prefer, call it the tomato technique. The name came about when Cirillo was in college in Rome. To focus on his tasks, he decided to use what he had at hand: a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. :)
The technique is so simple that it can be summarized in five steps:
- Choose a task to complete.
- Set the timer (pomodoro) to ring in 25 minutes.
- Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then record it on your sheet of paper.
- Take a short break (5 minutes).
- After every 4 Pomodoros, take a long break (25 minutes).
This technique brings together good features from two worlds:
- Objectivity: focus on the task, no distractions, control, discipline.
- Balance: thanks to the breaks, which should not be used to browse the Internet or do other work on the computer. The break is a very important part of the technique and must not be filled with tasks; it is a time when the mind should simply relax.
Since I wasn’t satisfied with just learning the technique, I decided to make a small program using Scratch that simulates the Pomodoro Technique. Visit Time Tomato now.
I contacted the team that manages the Pomodoro Technique website, and they have already listed my application on their site. Look for Timer Tomato: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/fans.html#pomodorosoftware
If you want to learn more about the technique, just download the free book: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/resources.html#pomodorobook
For software developers, you can buy PeepCode’s Meeting jQuery video. It teaches you jQuery by having you build a Pomodoro application.
There is also a beta book available from Pragmatic Programmers: Pomodoro Technique Illustrated: The Easy Way to Do More in Less Time by Staffan Nöteberg, available at: http://pragprog.com/titles/snfocus/pomodoro-technique-illustrated
One final tip for anyone who wants to create software that simulates the tomato technique: don’t use the name Pomodoro Technique, because it is a registered trademark. That’s why I named my application Timer Tomato.
Well, that’s all for now. Timer Tomato is under a Creative Commons license; you can download, reuse, and modify it, you just have to credit me, and you don’t need to let me know ;).