Wellness Resources from MacMillan Law Library

Pronounced poh-moh-DOH-roh ("tomato" in italian) and developed in the 1980s by an Italian college student using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, the Pomodoro Method is a time-management strategy which breaks work down into focused, 25-minute intervals (a Pomodoro) separated by short, 5-minute breaks.  After four Pomodoros, the break is expanded to 15 minutes.

Taken from the Francesco Cirillo Work Smarter, Not Harder website:

The Core Process of the Pomodoro Technique consists of six steps:

1. Choose a Task You Would Like to Get Done.

Something big, something small, something you've been putting off for a million years: it doesn't matter.  What matters is that it's something that deserves your full, undivided attention.

2. Set the Pomodoro for 25 Minutes

Make a small oath to yourself: I will spend 25 minutes on this task and I will not interrupt myself.  I can do it!  After all, it's just 25 minutes.

3. Work on the Task Until the Pomodoro Rings

Immerse yourself in the task for the next 25 minutes.  If you suddenly realize you have something else you need to do, write the task down on a sheet of paper.

4. When the Pomodoro Rings, Put a Checkmark on a Paper

Congratulations!  You've spent an entire, interruption-less Pomodoro on a task.

5. Take a Short Break

Breathe, meditate, grab a cup of coffee, go for a short walk or do something else relaxing (i.e. not work related).  Your brain will thank you later.

6. Every 4 Pomodoros, Take a Longer Break

Once you've completed four Pomodoros, you can take a longer break.  Twenty minutes is good.  Or 30.  Your brain will use this time to assimilate new information and rest before the next round of Pomodoros.

The Pomodoro Technique is organized into Six Incremental Goals:

     Goal #1 - Find out how much effort an activity requires.

     Goal #2 - Cut down on interruptions.

     Goal #3 - Estimate the effort for activities.

     Goal #4 - Make the Pomodoro more effective.

     Goal #5 - Set up a timetable.

     Goal #6 - Define your own objectives.

A Pomodoro is indivisible.  A Pomodoro can't be interrupted.  It marks 25 minutes of pure work.  A Pomodoro can't be split up: there is no such thing as half a Pomodoro or a quarter of a Pomodoro.  See "Dealing with Interruptions" if your Pomodoro is interrupted. 

When the Pomodoro Rings, stop working.  When the Pomodoro rings, mark an X on a piece of paper and stop working for 3 - 5 minutes.  The Pomodoro ring signals that the current activity is definitely (though temporarily) finished.  You are not allowed to keep on working "for just a few minutes" even if you are convinced that in those few minutes you could complete the task at hand. 

Disconnect from your work during the break.  The 3 - 5 minute break gives you the time you need to disconnect from your work.  This allows your mind to assimilate what's been learned in the last 25 minutes and also give you a chance to do something good for your health, which will help you do your best during your next Pomodoro.  During the break, you can stand up and walk around the room, have a drink of water, etc.  Do not engage in anything that requires significant mental effort.  

Every four  Pomodoros, take a longer break.  Every four Pomodoro, stop the activity you're working on and take a longer break, from 15 to 30 minutes.  This 15 - 30 minute break provides an ideal opportunity to tidy your workspace, go get some coffee, listen to voice mails or simply rest and do breathing exercises or take a walk.  The important thing is not to do anything complex; otherwise your mind won't be able to reorganize and intergrate what you've learned, and as a result, you won't be able to give the next Pomodoro your best effort. 

If the Pomodoro begins, it has to ring.  If you finish a task while the Pomodoro is still ticking, use the remaining portion of the Pomodoro to review or repeat what you've done, make small improvements and note what you've learned until the Pomodoro Rings.  If you finish the activity in the first five minutes of the Pomodoro, and feel the task was actually finished during the previous Pomodoro and revision wouldn't be worthwhile, as an exception to the rule, the current Pomodoro doesn't have to be included in your Pomodoro count for the day.

When using the Pomodoro Technique, interruptions can be a real issue.  The basis of the Pomodoro is 25 minutes of uninterrupted work - which is not always possible.  So, how do you deal with interruptions when they come up during a Pomodoro?  (And they will come up.)

Internal Interruptions

Internal interruptions are giving in to an immediate need to interrupt a Pomodoro to get up, walk around, get a drink, get something to eat, make a call that suddenly seems urgent, looking up something online or checking emails.  These are ways of procrastinating during the activity at hand and they tend to disguise our fear of not being able to finish what we are working on the way we want and when we want.  To free ourselves from these internal interruptions, we have to work on two fronts:

1. Make the interruptions clearly visible.  Every time you feel a potential interruption coming on, put an apostrophe (') on the sheet where you are recording your Pomodoros.  Then, 
2. Make a decision about what do to with the interruption by choosing one of the following:
   1. If you think it is imminent and can't be put off, write it down on your To Do Today Sheet under "Unplanned and Urgent," then return to the current Pomodoro work.  You can work on the interruption task during the next Pomodoro.  
   2. If it can be put off until a later Pomodoro, add it to you Activity Sheet, give it a deadline, then return to the current Pomodoro work.
3. Intensify your determination to finish your current Pomodoro.  As a rule, once the Pomodoro begins, it has to ring.  If it doesn't ring, then the Pomodoro wasn't "completed" and should be voided.  Yes, this is drastic, however, it is the best way to maintain your focus for the full 25 minutes.

The goal is to (1) accept the fact that needs do emerge (and shouldn't be neglected) and (2) keep the focus on the current Pomodoro task at hand.  Interruptions should be captured so you can look at them objectively later but they cannot not disturb the concentration of the current Pomodoro.  

External Interruptions

Minimizing external interruptions calls for the ability to "protect" the ticking Pomodoro. 

1. If you are alone... and the phone rings, let it go to voicemail.  If emails are coming in, turn off notifications or turn off email all together.  Protect the ticking Pomodoro and continue to focus on the task at hand.  After all, it's less than 25 minutes before your next break.
2. If a colleague or study partner interrupts you... politely say you are in the middle of something and can't be interrupted.  Tell them you would rather talk in 25 minutes, in a few hours or tomorrow depending on how urgent and important the matter is.  

If you absolutely have to interrupt a Pomodoro, there's only one thing to do - void the current Pomodoro even if it's about to ring.  Then put a dash where you record Pomodoros to keep track of interrupted Pomodoros.  Take a five-minute break, then start the Pomodoro for the urgent activity.  

For more tips and techniques for handling interruptions and making the most of your recording sheets, buy book, The Pomodoro Technique, or check out the audio book from Emory Libraries!

Originally published February 2021 by Christina Glon. 

Last updated: N/A.

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3. PomoDoneApp
4. Focus Keeper
5. Focus To-Do
6. Marinara Timer
7. Pomello
8. Toggl Track
9. Be Focused
10. Pomodoro Tracker
11. Clockwork Tomato
12. Forest
13. Tide
14. Bear Focus Timer
15. Pomotodo
16. ClickUp