Want to Maximize your PRODUCTIVITY? Understand this POMODORO Technique.
“TIME MANAGEMENT” is one of the real hot topics in the world right now. People have too much work to do and they find it difficult to complete all their tasks in the stipulated time. The TO-DO list keeps on increasing and subsequently adding more pressure and stress to the person. However, it’s more about identifying the correct tasks and completing the most critical tasks, which is what makes the difference.
Today, I will tell you about a technique which I am using these days and it has proved very beneficial to me. It is called the POMODORO TECHNIQUE. This technique is more like doing work in small chunks of 20-25 minutes and then taking a break in between. One of the issues people face is that they put so much pressure on themselves and hence want to complete the entire task in one go. For example, somebody wants to arrange his documents after 6 months and that is a hell of work to do. This task will ideally take 60-70 minutes.
Now the person wants to finish this task anyhow because he has been delaying it for a long time. So what he will do is, he will try to work continuously for one hour and complete the work. Not the pressure and the kind of task he is doing will make him exhausted and stressed up. He will get tired and there is also a good possibility that he would have made some mistakes during the last 10-15 minutes of his work.
Here POMODORO technique will prove to be very useful. You can decide that you will work for say 20-25 minutes, then after every such slot, you will take a break of 5-10 minutes. Ideally POMODORO consists of four 25 minutes sessions and between every session, there is break of 5 minutes. And after completing one POMODORO, you can take a break of 30 – 40 minutes.
It is like
20 – 5 – 20– 5 – 20 – 5 – 20 – “30“
GREEN COLOR INDICATES WORK
RED COLOR INDICATES BREAK BETWEEN WORK
BLUE COLOR INDICATES A BIG BREAK AFTER COMPLETING FOUR SLOTS OF WORK.
But it is quite configurable, you can keep 3 slots of work, and change the time from 20 minutes to say 15 or 30 minutes as per what works for you.
This technique also makes work fun and makes sure you keep on taking breaks in between. During break time, you can take a walk or do some stretching or breathing exercise. Also, people ignore going to the washroom at times, so this is a good reminder for you.
So how do you set this POMODORO technique in your work and where can you utilize it best?
First of all, prepare a list of tasks you have to perform throughout the day. Then pick the tasks which are critical and will require more time. Example completing office work or studying for exams or doing research in a specific area. You need to use this technique in such tasks and it will work wonders for you.
Another very good use of this technique is for long-term tasks. Suppose you are trying to spend time on fitness, or in writing or reading a book, or learning a musical instrument. You are not going to reap the immediate benefits, so generally, you will procrastinate during these tasks. Now the POMODORO technique will help you a lot in such activities. I will give you my example. I have already written a book(THE PERFECT SADHU) and am planning to write another one. But I was feeling very lazy due to other activities and writing a book will generally take around 1 year.
So I used this technique and it is working very well. I created a POMODORO technique for just 2 slots of 15 minutes each. 15 – 10 – 10. I started to write for 25 minutes and took a break for 5 minutes in between. Now every day I am able to write for 25 minutes and I am doing good progress. You can also use this technique if you want to learn some musical instrument or make progress in meditation or any such activity you have been procrastinating on.
Do you need a paper to note the timings?
No! There are a lot of online configurable apps for this and a lot of them are also free. You can easily pick one of these after trying a few and configure it according to your liking. You will also get an option to set bells once the cycles get over. It is all win-win for you.
