The Pomodoro Technique is a proven method that has helped millions of students around the globe achieve success in their study.
Have you heard about the Pomodoro technique but are skeptical of its use? Do you want to know whether the Pomodoro technique is effective for studying or not? If your answer is yes, you are in the right place, and this article is for you.
At present, the technique is widely used by different professionals to do their work with appropriate attention for a particular span of time. For students, it’s an ideal method to beat procrastination and distraction. Also, to stay motivated and focused during their study.
In this article, you will learn why the Pomodoro technique is effective for study. Furthermore, a basic idea of this technique and how it works.
What’s the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that helps a person work on small chunks of a large project for 25 minutes uninterruptedly. The process involves 25-minutes focused work and a 5-minutes break. Total 30 minutes, and it will be one Pomodoro. After 4 focused work sessions, a long interval of 15 – 20 minutes follows.
Get a visual view of this technique in here: The Pomodoro Technique ® – Sketchplanations
With this technique, you can break your workday in Pomodoro sprints. However, it is the core method of this technique. There are some rules to get the most out of this method.
- Break complex or large projects into small chunks,
- Protect your Pomodoros from distractions,
- Use breaks properly,
- Group small tasks and do them together.
Who invented the Pomodoro technique and when?
The technique was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. At that time, Cirillo was a university student. He was struggling to focus on his study and assignment completion. In search of ways to combat this problem, he found a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, and the idea of the Pomodoro technique was born.
Since then, Cirillo has been working to improve the technique to help people get more done in less time. He has written a book providing an explanation of the method and suggestions for better concentration and productivity in the book.
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At present, the technique has become a renowned time management tool that is used by millions of people throughout the world. This revolutionary way is helping people to regain control of their time.
Why is it called Pomodoro Technique?
Pomodoro is an Italian term, and its meaning is tomato. Since Francesco Cirillo was from Italy and found a kitchen timer of tomato-shaped. He named the method as Pomodoro Technique.
How the Pomodoro technique works
The 25-minute focused work session and 5-minute break do wonders for the human brain and its performance. Here are a few things that happen when you practice the technique in your work and study.
- Frequent short breaks help your brain fight cognitive boredom and mental fatigue. Our focus tends to drop after 25 minutes. Therefore, it is worthwhile to have intervals to get the optimum result of your effort instead of studying for longer.
- Short breaks recharge your mind. Give your brain time to gather new information and rest for the next challenge. You will start work with a new and different perspective.
- Focused sessions prevent you from multitasking and procrastination. You will be more productive when you give full attention to a single task.
- The method motivates you to focus on the task at hand and fights Parkinson’s law.
- A 5-minute break works as a reward that motivates you to work with full concentration for 25 minutes.
How to use the Pomodoro technique for studying
To apply this technique to study, follow the following steps:
Step – 1: Divide your goal into small, achievable, and actionable tasks.
Step – 2: Sit in a non-distracting place in your home or a suitable zone. Keep your phone and other gadgets away from you.
Step – 3: Select one task from the to-do list. Set a timer to 25 minutes and give full attention to the task. Work until the timer rings.
Step – 4: Take a 5-minutes break. You can do stretching, walk around the place, or give your eye rest by taking it off the screen.
Step – 5: Get back to study when the 5-minute break is over. Be attentive for another 25 minutes.
Step – 6: Repeat the process for 3 more Pomodoros (focused study).
Pat yourself on the back for completing one cycle, a 2-hour deep work, or a focused study.
Why is the Pomodoro technique effective for studying?
In the age of distraction, most students struggle to be attentive to their studies because of social media notifications and the urge for smartphone use. The Pomodoro technique is effective because it prevents these temptations and motivates students to complete their lessons with more focus and in less time.
Its direct benefits are apparent to us. Students get the following benefits from applying this method in their study:
- They can read with more focus,
- learn to manage distractions,
- complete a lesson in less time,
- become aware of time and use time efficiently,
- remain motivated to achieve a goal.
However, there are more reasons why the Pomodoro technique is an effective time management method for students to do their academic activities.
- It requires commitment: Pomodoro technique helps a student to be committed to studying for 2 hours on a particular topic or subject. During this time, the student devotes his full attention to one task. For instance, reading one chapter or writing a 500 words assignment.
- It establishes discipline: The technique allows students to study in a disciplined way. Instead of learning for an extended time or taking a break for longer, they set a balance between study and intermission. The method helps them to optimize their productivity and time. Because of the chunking technique, students study with intense focus but avoid burnout due to intervals. Students can avoid spending long hours on one lesson with inadequate focus.
- Retain information better: Because of intervals, your brain gets time to rest and process information. You can keep more information in your brain. In addition, it prevents mental exhaustion and loss of control over your thoughts.
- Gives a sense of urgency: Many people work with high energy when they work under pressure or deadlines are closer. In Pomodoro, you set a time to complete a particular lesson, and you will try to do it within the time. This sense of urgency will help you finish your task quickly. And, intervals will help you avoid mental exhaustion.
- Boosts motivation: By practicing this technique repeatedly, you will be able to build a higher level of willpower. Day by day, your self-awareness and concentration ability will grow. Moreover, you’ll learn how to split a large project into small chunks and get them done without exhausting your brain.
However, the Pomodoro technique is not a one-size-fits-all approach. In some situations, it won’t work. For example, when an answer needs more time to learn. If a student is in a flow state and is forced to take a break, he will need more time to refocus. He may even lose motivation because of forced intervals.
In addition, some works need brainstorming and deep focus. The 25-minute alarm may rob attention and cost time for refocusing. These are some exceptions, but in most circumstances, the technique is remarkably adaptable for doing any kind of task.
How long can you study with the Pomodoro Technique?
It depends on your physical and mental capability. However, some students manage to study for 12 hours and even for 17 hours. But, this will not work for longer. After a few days, you may experience physical problems, headaches, fatigue, and other difficulties. Students do so when they have to meet a deadline for assignments or study for upcoming exams.
As a human, you need to sleep, eat, rest, exercise, and have social interactions. Therefore, plan to study for 6 – 8 hours using the Pomodoro Technique. With this length of study, you can keep your energy level steady and progress consistently. If you desire more than 8 hours of study, you will sacrifice your daily life and personal wellbeing. That will be detrimental to your academic performance and health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Pomodoro Technique ideal for everyone?
At present, the Pomodoro technique is widely used by students to combat distractions and procrastinations while maintaining their focus on study. Besides, many programmers, writers, designers, and other professionals find this technique effective and use it in their work. In fact, it can be used by anyone. People who want to guard their focus and avoid distractions to get things done will embrace this technique.
Can a Pomodoro be 50 minutes?
Some people reported that they work best with a 50-minute session, while some people are comfortable with the 40-minute session with a 10-minute break. When you work with this technique, you will notice that different activities need different lengths of sessions. You can set session length according to your task or flow state instead of sticking to the classic version of sessions and intervals.
However, Francesco Cirillo suggests 25-minute sessions and a 5-minute break because he experimented with the technique in various work groups and finally settled on 30 minutes, which could be 40-minutes at most.
In fact, the goal of the Pomodoro Technique is to focus on the task at hand. If a lesson or assignment demands 50 minutes of the interrupted session, you can set the session accordingly.
Is there something better than Pomodoro?
Each time management and productivity technique has its own pros and cons. If you think the Pomodoro method is not working for you, you can try flowtime. People, who like the idea of single-tasking of Pomodoro but dislike its time constraints and forced intervals, find Flowtime a better alternative to Pomodoro. The Flowtime technique was developed by Zoe Read-Bivens in 2016.
Learn more about the method in this article – A Complete Guide to Flowtime Technique
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