Pomodoro

Type				Team Size
Me, Myself and I	Group Collaboration	The Academic System	Software	1	'2-10	11-30	30+

What, Why & When

Using Pomodoro is generally a good idea when you have to get work done and don't want to lose yourself in the details as well as want to keep external distraction to a minimum. It also works brilliantly when you struggle with starting a task or procrastination in general.

Goals

Stay productive
Manage time effectively
Keep distractions away
Stay flexible within your head
Avoid losing yourself in details

Getting started

Pomodoro is a method to self-organize, avoid losing yourself, stay productive and energized.

Pomodoro is very simple. All you need is work to be done and a timer.

There are six steps in the technique:

Decide on the task to be done.
Set the pomodoro timer (traditionally to 25 minutes = 1 "Pomodoro").
Work on the task.
End work when the timer rings (Optionally: put a checkmark on a piece of paper).
If you have fewer than four checkmarks (i.e. done less than 4 Pomodoros), take a short break (5 minutes), then go back to step 2.
After four pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your checkmark count to zero, then start again at step 1.

Links & Further reading

Resources

Wikipedia - Pomodoro Technique
Extensive Description on Lifehacker
Video description from Thomas Frank

Apps

Best Android App: Clockwork Tomato
Best iPhone App: Focus Keeper

The author of this entry is Matteo Ramin.