Quiz: should you use the Pomodoro technique?
Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique? It's a time management strategy that helps people become more productive.
Before diving into the strategic details, reflect on whether the Pomodoro technique is relevant for you. Ask and answer the following questions:
Are you often distracted (even if only briefly) during your workday?
Does your productivity fluctuate?
Are your tasks typically time-intensive (e.g. research projects)?
Do you frequently overestimate how much you can achieve in a day?
Could completing your daily tasks be more enjoyable and engaging?
Do you like tomatoes, Italy…and time management methods that are easy to implement?
If you answered “yes” at least once, read on and discover what the Pomodoro method is all about. Andiamo – let’s go!
The problem: not enough time, too much pressure
How can you, Time, be useful to me now?
Francesco Cirillo, Inventor of the Pomodoro technique
In 1987, Italian Francesco Cirillo needed something to help him focus. He used an egg timer in his kitchen that was shaped like a tomato (or “pomodoro” in Italian).
He sat back down at his table, set the tomato timer for 2 minutes and began to read. His mind retained the information, and he felt more focused. With that, the Pomodoro technique was invented.
What is the Pomodoro technique?
Inspired by his discovery, Francesco continued to refine his technique and share it with the world. Today, the Pomodoro method not only helps students – it’s also used by agile teams worldwide.
The Pomodoro technique:
What: A time management method that helps you take control of your workload and complete tasks efficiently.
How: Work in units, or “pomodori” (plural), of 25 minutes each – without interruption. Break for two to five minutes after each pomodoro. After four pomodori, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
Why: The goal of the Pomodoro technique is to help you stay focused and clear-minded for the long term to increase your productivity.
What makes the technique so effective?
In project work, speed and efficiency are paramount. The Pomodoro method doesn’t just help you and your team to work faster – it makes you sustainably faster. This is because it…
1. Improves your planning
Knowing how long tasks really take helps you to plan more accurately. Better planning leads to optimized workflows and smoother collaboration with other departments and stakeholders.
2. Helps you get started
By breaking large tasks into small steps, and focusing for just 25 minutes at a time, you avoid feelings of overwhelm – a key cause of procrastination. The sooner you can get started on your tasks, the sooner your team can start on theirs.
3. Limits distractions
With set break times, it’s easier to ignore distractions, such as messages and notifications, during your focus periods. Your thinking stays on task and you and your team can get more done.
4. Increases your agility
By limiting time for tasks, you push yourself to problem-solve creatively. With your whole team using the Pomodoro method, you can identify learnings and make improvements sooner. This is why it’s so popular with Software Development teams.
5. Boosts your concentration
Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Breaks are essential for keeping your mind healthy and improving your focus. Other benefits include improved interpersonal relationships and better decision-making.
6. Encourages experimentation
The Pomodoro method is about consistency, not perfection. As such, you leave room to experiment and make mistakes. This boosts your team’s motivation and helps them to grow and improve. Additionally, by thinking in pomodori instead of hours, you gamify the workday, which helps keep your team engaged.
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How do you apply the Pomodoro technique?
If you use an intuitive task management solution to manage your team’s workflow, you can apply the Pomodoro technique and further refine your workflow. This approach helps you:
Reduce the need for physical paperwork
Plan and document your work efficiently
Easily track your progress and scale
Here’s why you should use a task management tool.
How it works:
Create your list of to-dos (pomodori).
Rank your pomodori by importance.
Open your task management tool.
In a new task, add all your scheduled daily to-dos in Pomodoro units (= 25 minutes).
Choose either an analog tomato timer or digital timer and set it for 25 minutes. If you use a digital timer, integrate it with your task management tool beforehand.
Work on the first task until the timer rings.
Check off the pomodoro and record what you’ve completed.
Take a five-minute break.
Repeat the previous four steps four times (four pomodori).
Take a longer break of between 15 and 30 minutes.
Select a break time activity that helps you disconnect from your task. For example, if you’re working in front of a screen, take a walk outside.
If you can be flexible with your break times, it’s best to plan eight pomodori (4 hours) for your morning and six pomodori (3 hours) for your afternoon. After each four full pomodori, take a 20-minute break. This will bring you to 8 hours.
How to implement the Pomodoro technique with MeisterTask
You can implement the Pomodoro method with a range of task management tools. In this section, you’ll learn how to do it with MeisterTask. Whichever MeisterTask plan you have (it also works with the free Basic plan), you can implement the Pomodoro method in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: schedule your daily pomodori in MeisterTask.
At the beginning of each day:
Go through all active Projects and Tasks in MeisterTask.
Pin all the tasks you want to work on to your Agenda.
Create a new task and pin that to your personal Agenda, too.
In your new task, add all your to-dos for the day as checklist items.
Decide how many pomodori you will assign to each to-do.
Add a tomato emoji to each to-do, with one emoji equal to one pomodoro. This way, you can see all pomodori at a glance.
Here’s how your Pomodori will look in MeisterTask.
Use multiple checklists for additional structure, e.g. to split your workload between the morning and afternoon.
Step 2: work through your daily pomodori with focus.
Before you get started on your first pomodoro, you’ll need to set your timer. Choose from:
Classic: Pomodoro timer.
Minimalist: Your smartphone’s timer function.
App: PomoDone (which easily integratese with MeisterTask) or Pomofocus.
Free Chrome extension: Toggl Time Tracker (which easily integrates with MeisterTask via Zapier).
Then simply start your chosen Pomodoro timer. Work solidly for 25 minutes and, when your timer rings – stop.
If a request comes in during your pomodoro, don’t let it distract you (unless it’s an emergency). Take care of new messages and notifications in a separate pomodoro unit.
Step 3: make pomodoro planning part of your daily routine
Finally, make your daily Pomodoro task recurring so you don’t need to create a new one every day.
Challenge yourself to do a certain number of pomodori each day. Reaching or exceeding this number will keep your motivation high as you strengthen your concentration skills.
MeisterTask is ideal for implementing the Pomodoro Method. With a clear overview of your to-dos in your Agenda, you can get started in no time.
Belen Caeiro
VP Product
What are the common pitfalls to avoid?
Although there are plenty of benefits to using the Pomodoro method, there are also a couple of pitfalls to avoid. It probably won’t work if…
You don’t build buffers into your day. Planning is important, but so is flexibility. Including two to four “buffer pomodori” will keep you on track if some tasks take longer than expected or an urgent task pops up.
You don’t experiment. People are different and 25+5 minutes is only a guideline. If you need to be in the flow to do your best work, you might find you prefer to work in longer pomodori with longer breaks. Play around with timings and find what suits you best.
You don’t take enough (or any) breaks. Studies indicate that short breaks keep us focused and energized. Lead by example when it comes to taking breaks and encourage your team to do the same. Your team will be happier, healthier and more productive as a result.
Document how long your tasks take with the Pomodoro method – and continue to do so over time. This way, you keep track of your personal development and can give colleagues up-to-date estimates for future projects and tasks.
The Meister Test: does the pomodoro technique really work?
We tested the Pomodoro method over a period of 2 weeks. This is what three Meister Lobsters had to say about it:
The time limit helps me get going faster, stay focused, and complete tasks quickly. I find the Pomodoro Method especially helpful on days when I have multiple smaller tasks to complete.
Michelle Matus
Marketing Director
The Pomodoro technique helps me to plan and organize my work efficiently. The more precisely I define all my tasks and estimate their completion time in advance, the better the technique works for me.
Federica De Luca
Sales Director
The method works best on days when I don’t have any meetings. It’s very liberating not to have to answer every message immediately, but I make sure to schedule a few pomodori for responding to Slack messages and comments.
Andrew Lapidus
Community Lead
Tried the Pomodoro Technique? We’d love to get your insights! Please let us know what you make of it in the Community.
3 alternative time management techniques
If the Pomodoro technique sounds interesting, but you also want to test other time management methods to boost your workplace productivity, why not try…
Eat the Frog. Do you tend to work on quick and easy tasks before important and more complex tasks? "Eat the Frog” will help you and your team get high-effort, high-impact tasks off the table faster.
Getting Things Done. The name says it all. The GTD method helps you empty your cluttered thoughts into a structured system of to-dos, so you and your team can work more efficiently.
Time blocking. The time blocking method involves blocking out time in your calendar for specific tasks. Your to-do list becomes an actionable plan that you can work through with greater focus.
