Eat that Frog with a Pomodoro

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”― Mark Twain

Time! The most precious thing on earth. The drawback in the saying “time flies” is that, well it does fly away, and rather quickly too! Just like an aircraft needs a pilot in order to takeoff from the runway, the same is the case with time i.e. we are the pilot controlling its flight and the challenge is to control it effectively.

Procrastination is a major hindrance towards success. It inhibits us from working with full energy and develops a habit to start work before the deadline.

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” ― Charles Dickens

Good managers are always in search of tools to make themselves even more productive. So I found a tool that soon becomes one of my favorites:

The Pomodoro Technique

It was first developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The Pomodoro technique is a very simple time management methodology. Using a “timer” the user defines periods of 25 minutes. During those periods the user has to focus on a single task by avoiding any interruption.

Each one of the intervals is called “Pomodoro” (tomato in Italian) and is followed by a short pause, three to five minutes long.

The idea behind this method is the perception that calculated pauses increase mental agility and allow the users maximum dedication during a specific period.

“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” ― Shannon L. Alder

The following steps will help you to conduct this experiment:

Description of the Pomodoro Technique

1. Decide on the task to be done (for example, complete Section 3 of this course).
2. Set the Pomodoro timer (alarm) to 25 minutes.
3. Work on the task until the timer rings. If a distraction pops into your head, write it down, but immediately get back on the task.
4. After the timer tings, put a star (or a tick) on a piece of paper.
5. Take a short 3–5-minute break.
6. Repeat steps 1–4
7. After you have 4 ticks on your paper, you can take a longer break (15–20 minutes), and continue working on your task by going to step 1 until you complete your task.

“You may delay, but time will not.”― Benjamin Franklin

Significance of Pomodoro technique

This is a time management philosophy that helps the user to work with maximum focus and creative freshness and completing the work with much less mental fatigue than normal. Usually, when we have a certain work to do, we take the work pressure and feel burdened and even do not take a break while doing our work and this is not a healthy practice. Pomodoro technique is really helpful in doing the tasks in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

IMPLEMENTATION

1. Decide on the task to be done:

I decided to complete my pending university work with full concentrations while using this technique.

2. Set the Pomodoro timer (alarm) to 25 minutes.

I set an alarm of 25 minutes in my mobile that was suggested to complete this task under this technique.

3. Remove the distractions:

I removed all the distractions during this task and turned off my mobile so that I may complete my work without any delay or another activity.

4. Start working on the task:

I started working on the task with complete attention since I had to complete it within 25 minutes before ringing the alarm.

5. Take a break and set another Pomodoro:

I took break of 4 minutes then I set another Pomodoro and started working on it in the same way and I repeated all these steps for 3rd time as well.

After completing the tasks I found the experience to be outstanding and helped me in completing my work by concentrating on my work while avoiding any other extra activities. As a result, the productivity of my work almost doubled and by following it on a daily basis, I’m sure it will increase even more!

“ONE DAY WE WILL BE MORE CREATIVE, MORE PRODUCTIVE AND YET MORE RELAXED.” Francesco Cirillo

Procrastination is like a disease that controls us and reduces our productivity. The instant gratification monkey is like a devil for us. We have to control it before it controls us. We have to manage our time and concentrate on work during working hours. Eat that frog with a Pomodoro is the best technique to avoid procrastination.

“So that’s the telephone? They ring, and you run.” ― Edgar Degas