Maybe you’ve seen the little red tomato timer at someone’s home, set to a maximum of 25, 30 or 60 minutes.

Did you know it is based off a popular time management technique? Whether online or physical, the Pomodoro technique and timer is a popular way to become an efficient worker, especially in a distraction-filled w

orld.

The History Of Pomodoro

The technique was first developed by the Italian Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The word pomodoro is the Italian for tomato, and the technique is named after the fact that Cirillo would use a tomato-shaped timer for studying.

He would first create a task list, breaking up longer projects into chunks. He would then pick a task and set a timer for a 25-minute segment, called a pomodori. After 25 minutes, Francesco would take a break for 5 minutes.

Throughout the timing, he would keep track of progress made on his task list, and how many pomodori it took. After 4 pomodori, or 100 minutes of working, he would take a longer break of 15-30 minutes before starting again.

Benefits Of The Technique

The technique is a great way for learners and workers to utilize their time more productively. By breaking up tasks into time increments, the user would get the benefit of focusing more on the work, knowing that there was a break coming up after the set period. The smaller breaks also aid the brain by relaxing, keeping it refreshed and focused, perfect for students who study for long periods of time.

The Pomodoro technique is also a great way to improve your efficiency on computer, especially when websites like Facebook or Twitter create easy distractions. 

Best Pomodoro Tools and Apps

• Otto for Windows and Chrome
• Pomodor for a simple web-based Pomodoro timer
• Forest for a mobile Pomodoro timer
• Session for Apple users
• Flow for an affordable option for Apple users
• Toggl Track for combining Pomodoro with time-tracking

There are also plugins like Strict Workflow (Chrome) that time you while blocking distracting pages you choose, like Facebook, Hulu, Tumblr, and more.

For marketing, tools like Allmylinks will also save a ton of time!

The Pomodoro technique is one of many different ways to manage your time. Since the method encourages you to track your progress, you can see whether or not it is helping your manage your projects daily. It is especially helpful for those who tend to jump around from project to project, yet never getting a sense of finishing work because efforts are spread out.

This technique gives you the ability to pick a task and accomplish it before moving on to the next one. Even if it doesn’t seem like a method that can work for you, it doesn’t hurt to try – the process will allow you to learn more about yourself and what works for you.

Try it out, and see if it works for you.