Time Management with the Pomodoro Technique

This article introduces you to the Pomodoro technique – a time management method that can help you with your thesis and housework or at work. At Plagiarismexperts, we deal with students who are writing their bachelor’s or master’s thesis daily. That is why we know their problems very well, and we know: 

The inability to work concentrated, phases of procrastination, and the feeling of not making any headway are huge issues. Anyone who writes a thesis has a giant mountain of tasks ahead of them and often no idea how to tackle them. The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to get a grip on these problems.

Pomodoro Technique

Infographic Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a method that is said to lead to improved time management. The Italian Francesco Cirillo developed it in the late 1980s. Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato – Cirillo used it when he created the tomato-shaped kitchen alarm clock.

How to do pomodoro technique?

The basic idea is that many breaks have a positive effect on the work process. Therefore, the Pomodoro method takes a five-minute break every 25 minutes. These 25-minute segments are called Pomodori, in the singular Pomodoro.

Before starting with a Pomodoro, you should think carefully about which task you want to work on during this time. During the 25 minutes, you must work precisely on this task. The aim of the Pomodoro technique is the focused processing of a task. It is therefore recommended always to have a piece of paper to hand – if you can think of an essential task during a Pomodoro, you can write it down there and work on it at a later point in time.

When the alarm goes off, you have a five-minute break.

A break must mean a break: do whatever is good for you, but nothing that has to do with your work—also no quick email to the supervisor or a short literature search.

You can also draw a tick on a piece of paper after the 25 minutes have passed. This stands for a completed Pomodoro. Collecting such hooks shows you how many periods you have already concentrated on a task. This creates a sense of achievement and motivates.

After four pomodori, a more extended break is called for – it should be 20 to 30 minutes.

Minimalism

An essential part of the Pomodoro Technique is avoiding distractions. So banish your cell phone, telephone, and chat programs from your desk – during a Pomodoro, it’s all about you and your current task. Everything that you don’t need can disappear in 25 minutes. For example, if you are reading a text, all you need is the text itself, a pencil, and a highlighter.

The timer

In the meantime, there are also many internet tools that you can use for the Pomodoro technique. Team Plagiarismexperts has tested the Tomato Timer and found it to be good. Here you can choose between long and short breaks and use shortkeys.

Summary

Here is an overview of everything again:

1. Get rid of anything distracting from your desk.
2. Formulate a task.
3. Set your timer to 25 minutes and get started with the first Pomodoro. During this time, work exclusively on your task.
4. Mark your successful Pomodoro with a tick and take a five-minute break in which your work has no place.
5. Repeat 3) and 4) four times, then take a more extended break.

We hope that the Pomodoro technique can also help you to cope with your tasks better. To work in a more concentrated and focused manner, you can also try distraction-free writing programs and take our tips against procrastination to heart! Have fun trying!