What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique dates back to the late 1980s when a student named Francesco Cirillo couldn’t focus on his studies. Rather than dwell on his inability to concentrate, he set a tomato-shaped kitchen timer for 25 minutes, making a deal with himself that once the timer went off, he could take a break. Millions of people swear by this simple yet effective time management technique, named after the Italian word for tomato.

How does the Pomodoro Technique work?

Many use the Pomodoro Technique to improve their focus on the tasks at hand. This method works by offering restorative breaks and restricting the amount of time that an individual must maintain focus. The Pomodoro Technique also helps overcome procrastination and multitasking, which can significantly impair productivity. Anyone can incorporate this time management system into their day by setting a timer for 25 minutes and dedicating that time to focused work. When the timer goes off, you take a quick five-minute break to clear your mind.

Each work interval is a Pomodoro (tomato), where you use a traditional kitchen timer, phone timer, or an online timer to track your sessions. After four consecutive Pomodoros, you extend your break to between 15 and 30 minutes to refresh your energy, stave off mental fatigue, and promote sustained concentration. The Pomodoro Technique’s most powerful strength is its simplicity of execution:

• Write your to-do list.
• Set a timer for 25 minutes.
• Focus on one task at a time until the timer goes off.
• When your Pomodoro ends, check off your first session and make a note of your progress.
• Enjoy your five-minute break.
• After your fourth Pomodoro, step away from the task at hand for at least 15 to 30 minutes

Simple, right? The Pomodoro Technique helps get your mind into the zone to finish your tasks efficiently. Since the 25-minute work intervals are the core of the Pomodoro method, there are three rules for making the most out of each sprint:

• Group smaller tasks together. Combine tasks that take less than one Pomodoro with other smaller, simple tasks. For example, you can group “search jobs on Indeed,” “send rent money,” and “check voicemail” in one Pomodoro session.
• Simplify complex projects. When tasks require more than four Pomodoros, divide them into smaller, actionable steps. This rule helps ensure clear project progress to avoid frustration, disappointment, and delays.
• Complete Pomodoro sessions from start to finish. Once the timer begins, your focus should only be on the task at hand—not checking incoming e-mails, text messages, or team chats. If any other tasks, ideas, or requests come into play during your Pomodoro, make a note to return to them later. If an unavoidable disruption occurs, take a five-minute break, then start again. Tracking your interruptions, whether internal or external, can help you avoid them in the future. If you finish your set task before the timer goes off, use the remaining time to review your work, prepare for your next session, or improve your skills by researching networking opportunities or reading professional journals.

While the Pomodoro strategy can be highly effective in boosting productivity, there are alternatives to the Pomodoro Technique, such as:

• Eisenhower Matrix
• Time blocking
• Eat That Frog
• Rapid Planning Method (RPM)
• SMART goal system
• 80/20 Rule (Pareto analysis)

Why is the Pomodoro Technique so effective?

As efficient as the Pomodoro Technique is, it won’t work for everyone, nor will it fit with every industry. For example, the technique is great for writers or coders who require focus on single projects but won’t work for those who must regularly switch tasks, like receptionists or dispatchers. Since time management strategies are unique to every employee, not everyone will appreciate the pressure of working on a timer. However, when it fits within your workplace, besides the amusement of using tomatoes as units of time, many factors make the Pomodoro time management technique effective for boosting productivity.

It makes tasks less overwhelming and easier to start

Procrastination doesn’t always stem from needing to do something inherently unpleasant. Most of the time, people procrastinate to avoid negative feelings, especially uncomfortable tasks involving uncertainty. Rather than deal with negative emotions, it’s human nature to turn to things like movie streaming sites or social media platforms to elevate our mood, even if it’s only temporary. An effective way to break the avoidance cycle is by shrinking whatever you’re putting off to one tiny, less overwhelming first step.

For example, rather than focusing on writing your entire presentation, write for five minutes. If that’s still too intimidating, edit what you’ve already done. Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable ones is much easier than tackling a big project all at once, which is precisely what the Pomodoro Technique does: It breaks down larger tasks, goals, or projects into something you only work on for 25 minutes. Rather than worrying about the outcome, you stay hyper-focused on one mission, one Pomodoro at a time.

Combats employee distractions

The never-ending distractions of e-mails, social media notifications, text messages, and team chats can make it challenging to stay focused on work. However, technology isn’t completely to blame. Recent studies show that more than half of workday distractions are self-inflicted—meaning employees pull themselves out of focus and can easily justify it—“I’ll just take a second to check my notifications” or “This e-mail can’t wait.” These “small” interruptions can add up in a day, and not just in lost time and productivity. Every distraction requires time and energy to refocus attention on the task at hand.

Even when you think you’ve switched gears, the human mind can linger over the previous task for over 20 minutes before regaining full concentration. The result? Indulging in distractions can easily result in wasting 20 minutes trying to get back on task. The Pomodoro Technique helps employees resist self-interruptions by re-training their brains to focus. When managers and employees dedicate one task to each 25-minute Pomodoro, they know they’ll have the chance to reset and check their notifications once the timer goes off.

Employees become aware of how they spend their time

Almost everyone is guilty of falling victim to the planning fallacy—underestimating the time needed to complete our tasks. The Pomodoro Technique helps prevent the planning fallacy by allotting short, timed sessions where time isn’t an abstract concept but a specific event. A pomodoro is a combined unit of time and effort that measures focus on a single or several simple tasks. Rather than thinking about lost time, employees can focus on what they accomplished during these sessions. According to Cirillo, this “inverted time” changes the perception of time from a source of anxiety to a measure of productivity, leading to more realistic time planning.

When managers and employees use the Pomodoro Technique, they gain a clear measurement of their finite time and efforts, enabling them to reflect and plan their days more efficiently. With practice, they can accurately assess how many Pomodoros each task will take and build more consistent work habits.

Improve employee engagement, improve efficiency

According to Cirillo, “Concentration and consciousness lead to speed, one Pomodoro at a time.” Therefore, every Pomodoro allows employees and managers to boost their engagement while improving upon the last. Because the technique is more about consistency than perfection, every session offers a new beginning to evaluate goals, challenge oneself to focus, and limit distractions. Gamify your team’s productivity by motivating them to build on their success. Do this by encouraging them to add an extra pomodoro to each day, challenging them to finish a more extensive task in a set number of sessions, or setting a target number of Pomodoros every day without breaking their productivity streak. 

Managers and employees with good time management skills are generally more productive. Since productive workers are typically happier, better time management then feeds the cycle of increased motivation and productivity, reduced stress, prioritized work, and on-time project delivery.