Having a Hard Time Staying Focused…Try a Pomodoro!

If you’re anything like I am, you may be having a hard time staying focused. You’re not alone! The Pandemic has wreaked havoc on all of our lives both personally and professionally.  Not being able to focus, feeling lethargic and unmotivated are common these days with what we’re all going through.

A few years ago, I learned about an easy technique that works like a charm and helps me stay focused and get more of the right stuff done every day and it may help you too! 

It’s called the Pomodoro Technique. When I first heard the word Pomodoro, I was thinking about a delicious pasta sauce, but that’s not what this is about.

Here’s what The Pomodoro Technique is according to Wikipedia…  

“The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

The idea behind the technique is that the timer instills a sense of urgency. Rather than feeling like you have endless time in the workday to get things done and then ultimately squandering those precious work hours on distractions, you know you only have 25 minutes to make as much progress on a task as possible.”

Here’s the cool thing about it, after working on one task only for 25 minutes you are instructed to give yourself a five-minute break. Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but it’s just the right amount of time to feel re-energized!  You can use the time to stretch, eat a snack, get a little sunshine or whatever works for you.  

After you finish four Pomodoro’s in one day, your instructed to give yourself a longer break of fifteen to thirty minutes. I believe, if you can do four Pomodoro’s in a day, you’re doing well!  That’s two hours of highly focused time, but if you can do more, go for it! 

To help you get started, there are Pomodoro apps you can download. Go to the App store and search Pomodoro, and you’ll find a slew of them. Personally, I use the app Focus Keeper.  If you’re more old school you can even buy yourself an old finished Pomodoro timer, shaped like a tomato (Pomodoro means tomato in Italian.) 

If you’re ready to take back control of your day, stay focused no matter what’s happening around you, and feel like you’re getting ahead every day, I highly recommend giving it a try.

By the way, I wrote this article using the Pomodoro Technique, now I’m taking a break!