Land more interviews with our FREE tools. Click To Get Your Free Resume Score
  • Home
  • Blog
  • What Is the Pomodoro Technique? (And How It Will Improve Your Time Management)
14 Jul 2020 Austin Belcak

What Is the Pomodoro Technique? (And How It Will Improve Your Time Management)

Wouldn’t it be great if you could flip a magic switch and instantly become more focused and productive?

Most of us would eagerly pounce on the opportunity — but, unfortunately, a magic switch doesn’t exist.

However, there ARE certain techniques and strategies you can use to improve your time management skills and increase your productivity (both at work and in other areas of your life).

One of the most famous productivity-boosting strategies is called the ‘Pomodoro Technique,’ which we’ll be exploring in detail below.

In this article, we’ll explain:

  • What the Pomodoro Technique is
  • How to use the Pomodoro Technique to accomplish tasks more efficiently
  • Why the Pomodoro Technique will increase your productivity

The clock is ticking, so let’s get started!

What Is The Pomodoro Technique?

‘Pomodoro’ is the Italian word for tomato. Given that, you’re probably wondering, “What on earth do tomatoes have to do with time management?”

The name ‘Pomodoro Technique’ was coined by its creator, Francesco Cirillo, who used a kitchen timer that was shaped like a tomato (no actual tomatoes were involved).

Using his tomato-shaped timer, Francesco would designate 25-minute intervals — which he dubbed, ‘Pomodoros’ — to devote, unwaveringly, to a particular task.

He then developed a concise regimen of breaks to take between intervals to optimize focus and productivity. And thus, the Pomodoro Technique was born.

How To Use The Pomodoro Technique To Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently

Timer on a desk being used for the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique can be applied to any task that requires mental concentration. The original method includes six steps:

  1. Choose a task you wish to accomplish.
  2. Set a timer to 25 minutes.
  3. Fully commit to working on the task (with no interruptions) until the timer runs out.
  4. When the time’s up, take a break and write a check-mark on a piece of paper.
  5. For every three check-marks, take a 3-5 minute break.
  6. For every fourth check-mark, take a longer break (15-30 minutes).

Looking at the list above, you’ll see that there are two main components: dedicated work intervals (25 minutes) and systematic break periods.

At its core, that’s what this technique is all about: delegating your time with precision. But, in order for the method to be effective, you need to take the work intervals — aka ‘Pomodoros’ — seriously.

It’s essential to maintain complete, uninterrupted focus during a Pomodoro interval. If you are significantly distracted for any reason, that Pomodoro cannot be counted and you must reset the timer.

That may seem a little harsh, but remember: there are specific break periods built-in to the Pomodoro Technique as well. And this structured balance between work and breaks is the key to boosting your productivity.

Variations And Additional Considerations

In the original Pomodoro Technique, the standard work interval is 25 minutes. However, there are some variations you can apply to better suit your lifestyle and habits, including:

Working in 60 or 90-minute intervals. If you can easily concentrate for more than 25 minutes, try using longer work intervals. And, if you choose to extend the work intervals, you can proportionally extend the break periods as well.

Determining your natural ‘flow interval.’ Monitor the average amount of time you spend focusing on a task when you feel “in the zone.” Then, strive to make that your standard work interval for the Pomodoro Technique. Again, break periods can be adjusted accordingly (with roughly a 5-to-1 ratio for the short breaks and a 1-to-1 ratio for long breaks).

What Should You Do If You Finish The Task Before The Timer Goes Off?

If you complete your task in the middle of a Pomodoro interval, well done! That’s certainly a good thing — but the remaining time on the clock can still be put to good use.

Consider using any remaining time to:

  • Review, proofread, or make improvements to your work.
  • Reflect on the task you just performed (to learn/gain insights).
  • Mentally prepare for your next task by thoughtfully assessing its requirements.

By implementing any of the three actions above, you’ll continue to be productive during the Pomodoro interval (albeit in a different context).

How Using The Pomodoro Technique Will Increase Your Productivity

man working on his laptop using effective time management strategies

Now that we’ve covered how the Pomodoro Technique works, let’s examine why it’s effective. The power of this method lies in its rigid approach to time management, which yields the following outcomes:

Overcoming Our Natural Inclination to Get Distracted

Let’s face it: we all get distracted. Some of us get distracted more easily than others, but in today’s hyper-connected digital world, there’s always something competing for our attention.

For example, let’s say you sit down at your computer ready to dive into a work project. 5 minutes in, your phone dings with a text message. 4 minutes later, you see an email come into your inbox. At minute 19, you get the urge to check your Instagram feed…

Unless you’re naturally a ‘Concentration All-Star’, there’s a good chance you’d succumb to at least one (if not all) of the above distractions. But, if you follow the rules Pomodoro Technique, you’ll remain absorbed in your task — which will help facilitate a flow state.

Leveraging Short Breaks To Avoid Mental Fatigue

The Pomodoro Technique isn’t just about maintaining focus and powering through distractions. In fact, it could be argued that the break periods are equally as important as the work intervals.

The human brain isn’t designed to focus on a single task for hours-on-end. In fact, numerous studies have illustrated that taking breaks actually increases your overall productivity (among other benefits).

The mental benefits taking breaks include:

  • Rejuvenated motivation
  • Increased productivity and creativity
  • Improved decision-making
  • Improved learning and memory formation

That being said, don’t overdo it. If your breaks are too long or too frequent, your productivity will suffer simply because you’re not devoting enough time to work.

That’s why the Pomodoro Technique is so useful: it prescribes a healthy work/break balance that will keep you focused and on-task without wearing you out!

*Side Note: Hectic lifestyles and busy work schedules can leave even the most competent individuals feeling burnt out. If you feel overwhelmed, check out my story on How I Recovered from Total Burnout.

Showcasing Time Management Skills To Prospective Employers

Now that we’ve covered the Pomodoro Technique, let’s take a step back to reflect on the bigger picture in relation to your career growth and trajectory.

The Pomodoro Technique can be categorized under the umbrella of ‘time management’ — which is a highly valuable skill set in the workplace (and employers recognize this).

There’s no doubt that time management skills can help you succeed in your current role — but they can also be an attractive resume point when you’re applying/interviewing for new jobs!

However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about this. For a complete guide, check out my article on How to Highlight Time Management Skills on Your Resume.

Austin Belcak

Austin is the founder of Cultivated Culture where he helps people land jobs without connections, without traditional experience, and without applying online. His strategies have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, & Fast Company and has helped people just like you land jobs at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, & more.

LEAVE A REPLY

YOU’VE SEEN AUSTIN IN

Fast Company Logo
Business Insider Logo
Inc. Logo
The Muse logo
Cultivated Culture
SIGN UP
LOG IN
Cultivated Culture ResyBullet ResyBuild Mailscoop HeadlineAnalyzer.io

Welcome Back To Cultivated Culture!

Log into your Cultivated Culture account using one of the options below:

Sign in with LinkedIn
Sign in with Email
LOG IN

Forgot your password? Click here to reset.

Need a free acount? Click Here To Sign Up

By logging in, you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and agree to receive email updates.

One Free Account, Four Job-Winning Tools

Sign up for a free Cultivated Culture account and get access to all of our job search tools:

Your Bullet Score is:

Sign up for a free Cultivated Culture account to get the full breakdown of your bullet along with suggestions for improving it:

Sign Up To Save & Export Your Resume

Sign up to create, save, and export your resume and get access to our suite of job search tools!

Sign Up To Get More Free Email Searches

Create a free account to unlock more email searches and get access to all four of our job-winning tools:

Your Headline Score is:

Sign up for a free Cultivated Culture account to get the full breakdown of your headline along with suggestions for improving it:

Sign up with LinkedIn
Sign up with Email
Sign Up

Already have an acount? Click Here To Log In

By logging in, you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and agree to receive email updates.

SIGN UP
LOG IN
Cultivated Culture

We Just Need You To Verify Your Email.

We just emailed you a 6-digit code. Please check your email and enter it below.

Note: Your progress will not be saved until your email is verified. Closing this pop up or window might cause you to lose your progress.

Invalid Code

Verify

Choose one of the options below to get the verification code we sent you!

We'll need you to verify your email address before you're able to unlock free scans.

We'll need you to verify your email address before you're able to unlock free templates, saves, and exports.

We'll need you to verify your email address before you're able to unlock free email searches.

We sent a verification code to your email, all you have to do is paste that code here and submit to get full access!

Resend Verification Email
Verify Your Account Now

Need a free acount? Click Here To Sign Up

By logging in, you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and agree to receive email updates.

Cultivated Culture

Looks Like You Still Need To Verify Your Email Address!

Whoops! Looks like you still haven't verified your email address. We'll need you to do that before granting free, unlimited access to our tools.

If you can't find the original verification email, click the link below and we'll send a new one:

Sent! Please check your email.

Resend Verification Email

Need a free acount? Click Here To Sign Up

By logging in, you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and agree to receive email updates.

Cultivated Culture

Oops! You've Hit Your Credit Limit.

Looks like you've used all 10 of your free credits for the month. Your credit limit will refresh in days. You can learn more about your credit limit here.

Want to stop worrying about credits?

Sign up for our Unlimited plan to get instance unlimited access to all of our jon search tools for one low price. Click below to learn more:

LEARN ABOUT UNLIMITED
Cultivated Culture

Go Unlimited!

Change Plan!

Upgrade your plan to get unlimited access to all 5 of our offer-winning job search tools and 200 email searches / week:

Go Unlimited
(& Save 10%)!

Upgrade to get unlimited access to our resume tools, 200 email searches / week, and 10% off our regular pricing thanks to your friend :

$7 $7 $6.30 billed weekly

Weekly

Monthly

(Save 45%)

Quarterly

(Save 57%)

Your Unlimited plan comes with...

Unlimited access to all 5 of our resume tools

200 Mailscoop searches per week

No obligations - cancel any time

UPGRADE MY PLAN
CHANGE PLAN

By clicking "Upgrade My Plan," you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

By clicking "Change Plan," you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Cultivated Culture

Confirm Your Plan Change

Here is a summary of your plan change:

Current Plan:

New Plan:

Please note the following for plan changes:

Your new plan and rebill date will be effective immediately

The number above depict retail plan pricing, any adjustments or credits will be available in the Invoices section of your Billing tab

If you're moving to a lower cost plan, the difference will be credited to your account and applied towards your next payment

CONFIRM PLAN CHANGE

By clicking "Confirm Plan Change," you agree to Cultivated Culture's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Cultivated Culture

Unlimited Plan Upgrade

Change Payment Method

APPLY

Promo code has been applied to your purchase!

Note: This is a monthly subscription, your card will be automatically charged every month until you cancel your plan.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

(C) 2024 Cultivated Culture

Note: You will not be charged for updating your credit card using this form. After your new card is added, you will be billed on the date of your next billing cycle.

Cultivated Culture

Upgrade Complete!

You are officially a

Unlimited Member

Invoice Details

Invoice:

Paid Today:

Plan:

Start Date:

Subscription:

Next Bill Date (Est.):

Note: This receipt and future invoices will be available in the Billing Tab of your Account Dashboard.

VIEW RECEIPT
RETURN TO TOOLS

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

(C) 2024 Cultivated Culture

Cultivated Culture

Do You Want To Secure Your Account?

Increase your account security with one of our multi-factor authentication options:

Set Up 2 Factor Authentication
Skip Adding Additional Security
Note: You are able to set up multi-factor authentication at any time in your Account Dashboard.

Choose An Authentication Method

Awesome! Let's make your account more secure.

Choose your preferred authentication method:

Text Message Authentication
Email Address Authentication

Text Message Authentication

Enter the phone number that you want to use to set up text-based authentication for your account:

SEND CODE

Note: Message and data rates may apply. Your phone number will only be used to send authentication codes. You will receive one message per login attempt. For more information, click here to view our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Text Message Verification Code Sent!

Please check your phone for verification code and enter below:

VERIFY

Email Verification Code Sent!

Please check your email for verification code and enter below:

VERIFY

Choose An Authentication Method

No problem, we'll skip this for now. Do you want us to remind you to secure your account?

Yes, Remind Me Next Time
No, Don't Remind Me Again
Note: You are able to set up multi-factor authentication at any time in your Account Dashboard.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

(C) 2024 Cultivated Culture

Cultivated Culture
Job Toolkit
Coaching Call
Resume Course
Ahh So Close!
Job Toolkit
Coaching Call
Resume Course
Ahh So Close!
Want A GUARANTEED WAY TO WIN MORE JOB OFFERS?
I'm giving away some of my premium content for FREE. This is stuff you won't find anywhere on the site. Stuff that's helped people just like you land jobs at places like Google with no "traditional" experience and without applying online. If you're tired of job searching and want to land a job you love, spin for a chance to win strategies most people pay for: