The Pomodoro Technique

is a time-management method that:

• breaks work into 25-minute intervals, called "*pomodoros,"
• separated by short, 5-minute breaks.
• After four consecutive pomodoros, a longer break (15-30 minutes) is taken. 

A goal of the technique is to reduce the effect of internal and external interruptions of focus and flow.

Developed by: Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the technique uses a timer to help users maintain focus, reduce procrastination, and prevent burnout by working with time rather than against.

*Pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used while he was a university student. For the purposes of the technique, a pomodoro is an interval of work time (and pomodori is the plural form)

Closely related to concepts such as timeboxing. 

The original technique has 6 steps:

• 1. Decide on the task to be done.
• 2. Set the Pomodoro timer (typically for 25 minutes).
• 3. Work on the task.
• 4. End work when the timer rings and take a short break (typically 5–10 minutes).[5]
• 5. Go back to Step 2 and repeat until you complete four pomodori.
• 6. After four pomodori are done, take a long break (typically 20 to 30 minutes) instead of a short break. Once the long break is finished, return to step 2.

The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique.

• In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a "To Do Today" list, enabling users to estimate the effort they will require.
• As pomodori are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement

A goal of the technique is to reduce the effect of internal and external interruptions of focus and flow.

The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique.

In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a "To Do Today" list, enabling users to estimate the effort they will require.

As pomodori are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement

A pomodoro is indivisible; when interrupted during a Pomodoro, either the other activity must be recorded and postponed (using the inform – negotiate – schedule – call back strategy or the pomodoro must be abandoned.

After task completion in a Pomodoro, any remaining time should be devoted to activities; for example:

Review the work you just completed (optional)

Review the activities from a learning point of view examples:

• What learning outcome did you accomplish?
• Did you fulfill your learning target, objective, or outcome for the task?
• Review the list of upcoming tasks for the next planned pomodoro time blocks, and start reflecting on or updating them.

Cirillo suggests:

Specific cases should be handled with common sense: If you finish a task while the Pomodoro is still ticking, the following rule applies: If a Pomodoro begins, it has to ring.

It's a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity for overlearning, using the remaining portion of the Pomodoro to review or repeat what you've done, make small improvements, and note what you've learned until the Pomodoro rings.

The creator and his proponents encourage a low-tech approach:

• Using a mechanical timer, paper, and pencil
• The physical act of winding the timer confirms the user's determination to start the task; ticking externalizes the desire to complete the task; ringing announces a break.
• Flow and focus become associated with these physical stimuli.