Gaille Su
- Jul 21, 2021

The Pomodoro Technique

The initial problem

As Hong Kong students, we live in a highly competitive education system. According to a Hong Kong Legislative Council report, the average student spends 10 hours studying on a typical school day. Thus, many are familiar with the struggle commonly faced while studying: procrastination. The experience of sitting down, determined to succeed in exams the following day, only to succumb to the temptation of Instagram five minutes later, is not an effective way to study. It is important to be productive and to get things done, but distractions are there to divert attention to trivial matters that hold no actual relevance to tasks. Enter: the Pomodoro technique. Voted as one of the best productivity methods, this simple technique proves approachable and efficient to most, if not all users.

An introduction to the Pomodoro technique - how it can help

The Pomodoro technique was invented in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, a college student who struggled to complete his assignments on time. His initial solution to his lack of productivity was to try and commit to 10 minutes of study time. "Pomodoro" stands for tomato in Italian, and it applies to the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used to track his work. The traditional Pomodoro in this method refers to a 25 minute session purely of focused studying. Inspired and encouraged by his own self-improvement, he went on to write a book (The Pomodoro Technique), giving readers advice on time-management and how to better monitor their productivity as a whole.

Getting started:

1. Set a timer for 25 minutes, or one 'Pomodoro', and focus on a single task until the timer rings.

2. Mark off one 'Pomodoro' and record your process within the last session.

3. Allow yourself to take a five-minute break.

4. When four 'Pomodoros' have been marked off, allow yourself to take a 15-30 minute break.

Planning

1. Make a list of all the tasks you have yet to complete in a day and estimate the time required for finishing them.

2. Break down more substantial tasks into individual 'Pomodoros' to keep clear track of your progress and group smaller tasks together in one 'Pomodoro' to maintain levels of productivity within a session

Reminders:

* Once the timer has started, you must not pause the countdown to check text messages or group chats unless it is absolutely necessary.

* If an unavoidable disruption occurs, take a five-minute break and start a 'Pomodoro' again.

* If you have completed the task before the Pomodoro ends, you must spend the rest of your time broadening and improving your knowledge of the topic/subject.

* A 'Pomodoro' is an indivisible unit of time and you must either complete the session or start over, so as to familiarise your mind with focusing on a task for a set period of time without procrastinating or giving in to cognitive boredom.

Why is the Pomodoro technique more effective than others?

It battles procrastination:

Study techniques often target one common obstacle among students: procrastination. Procrastination is a result of avoiding negative feelings, such as feeling frustrated over a particularly tricky physics question. Uncertainty and self-doubt hinder students from completing their tasks, which eventually leads them to fall into the practice of delaying and avoiding work.

The Pomodoro technique encourages users to shrink down intimidating tasks they have to face into smaller, approachable steps. By persuading themselves that the current task at hand will only last for one Pomodoro, users become hyper-focused on their tasks making them easier to be completed. As the Pomodoros accumulate throughout the day, or the week, completing bigger tasks required during an amount of time doesn’t seem so far-fetched after all.

A fresh start for each Pomodoro:

As every Pomodoro starts, allow room for improvement upon the previous session. Each session is a chance to reevaluate one’s productivity whilst challenging the brain’s ability to stay focused. Rather than dwelling on what hadn’t gone well the previous session, take a deep breath and concentrate on the next 25 minutes instead.

Variations on the Pomodoro technique:

The traditional 25/5 minute Pomodoro technique makes it easy for struggling students to regain their work efficiency and self-confidence. However, variations to the Pomodoro technique may further boost levels of productivity once a student’s mind becomes accustomed to the efficiency. It is completely fine to adjust each Pomodoro to last for however long necessary, in the condition that staying focused during that period of time is achievable. Of course, the breaks in-between should thus be altered accordingly. A Desktime study has shown that 17-52 minute sessions create a satisfactory balance for productivity.

How am I able to enhance my studying experience?

These are a few helpful tips which have proven to be effective amongst students.

1. Use study timer apps: Forest (paid) / Yeolpumta (free):