Do you struggle to get work done? Is your schedule jam packed and you’re doing a lot of busy work but not getting “deep work” done?

Pomodoro is a time management technique that will help you get more done—consistently. 

Pomodoro is an Italian word meaning tomato and is named after a tomato-shaped kitchen timer used by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s when he developed this time management technique. 

The idea is to work in 25-minute intervals, then take five-minute breaks. 

25 minutes on, 5 minutes off.

You don’t need a fancy tomato timer. I use the timer on my phone.

The trick is to know what you’re doing in advance (pull this from a task list). Also, when you break, do something unrelated that will give your body and mind a rest: get up from your chair, do jumping jacks, make a cup of tea, or do yoga stretches. 

What I like about this approach is that 25-minute chunks seem less formidable. Even if it’s a task I hate (taxes or filing), knowing I’ll have a break keeps me on track. 

Try pomodoros, Before you know it, you’ll be powering through your work. You might even find yourself in a state of flow and won’t even want to stop for a break. 

I hope this short video helped you today. I share productivity tips like this all the time on my website, Project Manager Writer. Click here to get a free ebook as a gift for subscribing to my newsletter.