Many students are already familiar with the Pomodoro technique and it is often the most common tip for supporting concentration that students give to each other. Sometimes, however, it may seem that no matter how much you try Pomodoro, you can't get it to work for you. So, here is the Pomodoro quick guide for those of you who don't yet know how to use it:


What pomodoro?

Pomodoro is a method of pacing your studies, where, according to the technique, you set goals, study for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break. This is repeated until, for example, after the third study-period, i.e. "tomato", a longer break of 30 minutes is taken.

 

Why does pomodoro help?

Although the pomodoro technique seems really simple, there are many elements that support the achievement. First of all, in the pomodoro technique, the idea is that the working time seems so short that it lowers the threshold to start. In addition, the pomodoro technique encourages breaking down goals into small tasks. The Pomodoro technique includes breaks, which is also important, because concentration otherwise begins to drastically decrease after an average of 40 minutes of work. In many pomodoro applications, the student receives a virtual tomato after the working session. This is a reward for our brain and motivates us to continue.

 

How do you use pomodoro?

1. Choose the most important goals for the day, break them down into tasks and estimate how many tomatoes each goal requires. Please note that we tend to be time optimists, and it is better to estimate the required time a bit over than under.

2. Select the first task and start the first 25-minute pomodoro session. Whenever you lose focus, bring it back to the task as soon as you notice it.

3. Take a 5-minute break. Pause to notice what you need on your break. Do you need something refreshing or perhaps calming? At least get up from your seat and move around a bit.

4. Choose the next task and work on the next 25-minute pomodoro.

5. Take a 5-minute break.

6. Choose the next task and work on the next 25-minute pomodoro.

7. Take a 30-minute break.


Here are some steps you can follow to fine-tune your use of pomodoro:

1.     Use tomatoes to develop your own evaluation about how much time the different kind of  tasks takes. Learning to realistically estimate the time it takes to complete a task makes planning easier and helps us gain experiences of success.

2.     Remove distractions. Therefore, do not look at the phone during pomodoro.

3.     At the beginning of each tomato, use 3-5 minutes of thinking what you were doing and use the last 1-3 minutes to review what you accomplished.

4.     Do not plan to work 8 h study days with pomodoro technique, because working with the pomodoro technique is intense.


Last modified: Monday, 8 July 2024, 1:57 PM