Time management with the Pomodoro Technique

pomodoro book cover

I was reading about the Pomodoro Technique this morning. It sent chills down my spine.

For those unfamiliar with the PT it is a time management system. You can download a PDF of the book for free. It is supposed to take the stress out of the process of getting things done and evidently the system works extremely well.

The technique is quite simple:

  1. Choose a task to be accomplished
  2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
  3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
  4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
  5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

If you don’t have one of their cute Pomodoro (tomato) timers handy you can head over to FocusBoosterApp.com and either download a digital timer (conveniently set to 25 minutes) or use their online version. And of course there is an app for the iPhone.

So why the chills? Anyone with a touch of ADHD blood in them knows. Forced discipline is a terrifying concept. It makes me want to flee to Twitter, Facebook and my email account all at the same time. It’s not that I don’t work straight through on my tasks. It is, well, it’s that dang clock. That being said, I think I’ll give it a try.

Do you have a time management system you use? If it’s working for you (or it’s not) share.