What Is Meant By Pomodoro Technique? Find Out How You Can Increase Your Productivity By Using This Skill

Every day, many people spend hours in front of a computer without giving a thought to its impact on their bodies. Whether it is due to the nature of your job or just for fun, when you spend too much time in front of a computer, your body suffers physical stress. Continually spreading out your wrists, slouching, straining to look at poorly placed monitors etc., can lead to trauma disorders or tedious stress injuries. These injuries can, in turn, have a lifelong impact on health. So, what is meant by the pomodoro technique? Let's have a look.

But with Computer Ergonomics, you can enjoy a healthy productive life while sitting in a comfortable and relaxed position. In simpler terms, Ergonomics is designed to improve your health, performance and satisfaction while carrying out your job or chores. Take for example the Pomodoro Technique.

So, what is pomodoro?

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The Pomodoro Technique is a useful tool whether you are prone to distractions or need to focus on finishing a project. What this technique does is allow you to get things done at intervals, while taking the occasional break to catch a breath. The Pomodoro Technique is especially useful for you if you are a busy developer, designer, or creative head, who’s expected to deliver. So, in the end it improves your productivity. It's a very nice time management tool. But before we go into how it works and why it is essential, let’s take a look at a little of the Pomodoro Technique history.

As stated in wikipedia The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that was developed by the author, developer, and entrepreneur, Francesco Cirillo, in the late 1980s. Cirillo named the system ‘Pomodoro’ after the tomato-shaped timer he used to keep track of his work during his days as a university student.

And the technique is pretty straightforward: when you have a ton of work, break them down into twenty-five-minute time blocks called ‘Pomodoros’. Between each Pomodoro, you take a five-minute break. And after completing four Pomodoros, you make a more extended break—usually lasting fifteen to thirty minutes.

The purpose of the twenty-five minutes is to train your brain to pay attention for short periods while helping you meet and even surpass targets. Over time, you will also be able to:

Reduce stress levels because you are doing one thing at a time.
Pay attention to a specific task during a period.
Get more things done because you will have a sense of determination.
Develop better levels of willpower and concentration.

The beauty of the Pomodoro Technique lies in the fact that you only need a timer. While the timer is on, you will ignore all urges to look outside your window, pick up your phone, scroll through Instagram or even reply a text message. All you are doing is focusing on one specific task (say replying emails) without looking away or multitasking.

Since its inception, over 2 million people have used the Pomodoro Technique to become more productive, more attentive and maybe, even smarter. In fact, Pomodoro has become so popular that websites and mobile apps providing timers and instructions keep springing up.

However, there is a recommended process for following the Pomodoro method. The process requires that you:

Choose a task and set a time-frame for its completion.
Set a timer to 25 minutes (either with an egg timer or with an app).
Pay attention to the task until the timer goes off
Take a 5-minute break then start another Pomodoro.
Take a 20-30 minute break if you complete four Pomodoros.

During your time off from your chosen task, you can:

Close or turn your computer away and rest your eyes
Catch up on posts, picture and video uploads on social media
Clean up the files on your desk or tabletop
Do short exercises like a simple hand or neck massage to relieve stiffness and tension
Write ideas for a project in a notebook
Take deep breaths and meditate
Scroll through your favourite food, travel or music blog
Take a short walk to stretch out your legs

While the above are good examples of what to do during your five-minute break, you can do whatever you want as long as it fits into the five-minute break. The end goal of the short breaks is to avoid being stretched thin.

And whatever you end up doing, don’t think too hard about it and just have fun with it!