Pomodoro: denoting a sauce made from tomatoes, typically served with pasta; Italian – ‘tomato’

A time management technique developed in the late 1980s by then-student Francesco Cirillo.

If we’re honest, most of us—at one time or another—have trouble managing our time; life happens, and too often, daily distractions keep us from getting the OTHER important tasks accomplished that we want or need to do.

Like writing.

 

Prepare to be amazed! While the Pomodoro Technique can help with many daily tasks—cleaning, study, music practice, etc.—using it for writing is a great way to see progress.

Cirillo decided to call this technique Pomodoro—tomato—after the kitchen timer that looks like a tomato. The idea is that you work using the timer, breaking your work into manageable chunks of time.

Cirillo recommends 25 minutes for each Pomodoro session, working without interruption for that allotted time. Once the timer goes off, you must stop what you’re doing for five minutes (set the timer for this time, also). When the timer buzzes, signaling that it’s time to work again, set it for 25 minutes and work diligently for that time, then take a five-minute break, and so forth.

The key to success is that you schedule and work as many Pomodoros as possible during your day, with three or four sessions being the minimum. Your break time can be anywhere from five to fifteen or so minutes, depending on your day—but I have found that scheduling the break-time for five minutes works best—especially if you have a full day to commit to writing.

 

In order for the Pomodoro Technique to be effective, recognizing distractions—both internal and external—is important. Before you start the timer, here are a few tasks to help minimize distractions:

• Write down your writing ideas. You can jot down single words, short phrases, etc. Keep writing for about five minutes until you have a good list of ideas.
• Make a list of the things you need to do OTHER than writing during your day, and if, while you’re writing, you think of something that is urgent or needs to be done, write it on your “To Do Today” list.
• Make a different list for activities that are not urgent. This way, if you have time between Pomodoros, you may be able to accomplish one or the “Today” tasks.
• At the end of your Pomodoro sessions for the day, once you’ve looked at ALL OF THE WRITING YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED, you’ll be able to go down your list with satisfaction, knowing that your writing is getting done!

Once you’ve worked through three to six (or more) Pomodoros in a day (the number you do depends on your own work habits and schedule), celebrate by making that Pomodoro sauce— and then put it over pasta!