My #1 Productivity trick (for studying, cramming, writing, etc.)
Above: A kitchen tomato timer, the inspiration behind The Pomodoro Method.
Hello Dear Readers,
Hope you are doing well!
With the end of the semester, end of the year and just overall things wrapping up before the holidays, it can get a bit hectic trying to finish things before the break. I have decided to share my #1 how-to-be-productive trick that I have perfected over many many years of studying. Honestly, I wish I had figured this out a long time ago, but it wasn’t until my last year of my Ph D (in 2019) that I found it and realized how well it worked for me. Since then, this tried-and-true tip has proven to help me reduce my anxiety and even (gasp!) enjoy pushing things to the finish line. Of course, there is a disclaimer that though it may work for me, it may not fit everyone’s schedule/personality/lifestyle… but I do wish someone had told me earlier about it! This trick I use it specifically to study, write, and overall I have tested it in an academic/university setting, but let me know if they work for you in other aspects!
The Pomodoro Method
Without a doubt, The Pomodoro Method was THE most important technique I learned while studying, analyzing data and writing my thesis for almost 12 hours a day during my last year in graduate school. The Pomodoro technique is a method that was designed in the 1980’s by Italian software designer Francesco Cirillo. When Francesco was a university student, he had a rough time concentrating for long periods of time. In addition, he often had to work on intricate computer software design with a partner or even a group. As hard as it is to force oneself to concentrate, imagine how hard it is to get multiple people to focus TOGETHER to solve complex math problems for an extended time! So Francesco developed the Pomodoro Method, which has found success with millions of people for over 30 years and is even used in many Fortune 500 companies.
Above: Francesco Cirillo works out a complex problem using The Pomodoro Method.
The Pomodoro Method is named after the old-school tomato kitchen timers (pomodoro is tomato in Italian). The technique is simple, you work for 25 minutes on a given task, and then you take a 5 minute break. This 30 minute work “shift” or interval is considered one pomodoro. After four pomodoros (or 2 hours), you can give yourself a long break for 30-40 minutes. This infographic below does a great job explaining it.
Above: Infographic by Sketchplanations explaining The Pomodoro Method
The way it worked for me, is that I would work without any distractions for 25 minutes on reading, taking notes, analyzing data or writing and then I would take a 5 minute break to text, get on social media, go to the restroom, or do a stretch break. After four Pomodoros, I would take the long break that would include an activity like making and eating lunch, doing yoga, calling my mom or even watching one short TV episode. I forced myself to have at least 4 successful pomodoros every day, and on good days I would do 8 extremely focused pomodoros. When you think about it, this is only 2 to 4 hours of really hard work in a day. For the rest of the day, I would work on other tasks I needed to do: like editing, writing emails, grading, etc.
What is great about this method, is that not only does it maximize your productivity in the short term (two hours), but if you are crunch-working long hours (to finish an important project, for example) it also helps your brain to stay active in the long term. I was much less drained working 12 hours with The Pomodoro Method than when I worked with a “random” unorganized 10 hour shift, thanks to all the breaks you get!
Some non-believers question the method with comments such as “Once I’m focused, breaking up my work every 25 minutes doesn’t work for me”. Well, if you are someone who can easily focus for hours on end, then go ahead and skip the short break! It does happen to me that on certain occasions I am in such a roll that I do not take the 5 minute breaks, but I do always take the long break after 4 pomodors. However, remember that the magic in The Pomodoro Method is that you can be intensely productive for long periods of time without getting drained. It’s not so much about how you feel & what you accomplished after working 2 hours, but how you feel and how much good-quality work was produced after 8 hours, 10 hours, or even 12 hours of sitting & staring into a computer screen.
Another criticism I hear is “My work is very complicated, I can’t get anything done in 25 minutes”. Trust me, when you are not texting, not on social media, not having random chats and not even going to the restroom, 25 minutes seems to last a very loooong time and its insane how much you can get done! Plus, if it works for a software designer, trust me it’ll work for your tasks.
There are many websites and apps you can use to help with The Pomodoro Method, but a regular timer works just as fine as well. How cute is this mushroom timer?! or this chicken which resembles the timer my grandma used when I was growing up? I could not find a shark version, but this one with an under the sea theme is SO KAWAII!
I also love Youtube Pomodoro timers, for example the account @PomdoroCat has Pomodoro Timers with cute cats accompanied by lo-fi music, there are a ton of options to explore!
Above: The above YouTube video has two pomodoros, which makes for a very cute & productive hour.
Above: There is even a Christmas version of the Pomodoro Timer, LOVES IT!!!
Good luck studying and let me know how well this trick worked for you!
For more information read The Pomodoro Method book.
Some other online Pomodoros I have used: