Attack Of The Time Tomatoes

The Pomodoro (Italian for tomato) Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo, might sound a little hokie at first, but it’s actually one of the most down to earth, easy, and effective time management programs I’ve come across. Cirillo describes the technique this way,

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that can be used for any kind of task. For many people, time is an enemy. The anxiety triggered by “the ticking clock”, especially when a deadline is involved, leads to ineffective work and study habits which in turn lead to procrastination.

The aim of the Pomodoro Technique is to use time as a valuable ally in accomplishing what we want to do in the way we want to do it, and to enable us to continually improve the way we work or study.

With the help of a notepad, a kitchen timer that can be shaped anyway you like (I prefer a timer program on my computer since that’s where I do most of my work), and some concentrated effort you can find yourself working much more efficiently.

The Pomodoro Technique has people work on a single relatively simple task for 25 minutes. Focusing on nothing else and avoiding all internal and external distractions (while making note of these distractions for later reference). Then taking a 3 to 5 minute break in which you absolutely do not work allowing the brain to process what it has learned in the previous 25 minutes.

Keeping track of the distractions helps evaluate how often that person succumbs to distraction. This allows The Pomodoro Techniquee to serve both as a time management technique and personal productivity evaluation system. As you evaluate your productivitly you can improve your time mangement.

The Pomodoro Technique also helps to separate people from the feeling that time is slipping away by changing the way we look at time. Instead of hours minutes and seconds, time is measured in points of activity (called pomorados). This way a feeling of achievment is felt with each unit of work.

The Pomodoro Technique is founded on three basic assumptions:

• A different way of seeing time (no longer focused on the concept of becoming) alleviates anxiety and in doing so leads to enhanced personal effectiveness.
• Better use of the mind enables us to achieve greater clarity of thought, higher consciousness, and sharper focus, all the while facilitating learning.
• Employing easy-to-use, unobtrusive tools reduces the complexity of applying the Technique while favoring continuity, and allows you to concentrate your efforts on the activities you want to accomplish. Many time management techniques fail because they subject the people who use them to a higher level of added complexity with respect to the intrinsic complexity of the task at hand.

If you head over to http://www.pomodorotechnique.com you’ll find the free downloadable e-book, a print version for sale, worksheets, programs, and more.

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