I tried Pomodoro for 30 days
So, what the heck is a Pomodoro technique?
Well, it's a time management technique where you split your day into brief intervals (usually 25 minutes), separated by quick breaks. Eachβ intervalβ is what we call a Pomodoro. Simple yet powerful, all you need to be able to follow this technique is a timer.
First, a little background: I heard about Pomodoro from a colleague who would swear by it. His love and conviction in Pomodoro convinced me to try the technique as well. However, My first attempt turned out to be an epic failure. Here's what happened: I started an interval and within one minute, someone walked over to my desk to discuss an important feature. R.I.P Pomodoro!
It was hard for me to comply with the technique in my work environment. Sometimes, I would just skip the breaks and end up working for hours on the same thing. Then entered the lockdown followed by work-from-home. I thought of experimenting with the technique once again, and hereβs what happened:
Bye Bye Procrastination -
The short interval psyched me. It left me with no excuses to procrastinate, considering I had limited time to finish a task.
Bye Bye Eye Strain -
Being a software developer, my eyes spend 8 hours with my laptop followed by 4 hours with my mobile. My doctor urged me to take frequent pauses while working just to calm my eyes. Are you happy, doctor? Because my eyes are.
Bye Bye Guilt Trips -
Yes, no more feeling guilty about taking breaks. I could dance, dream, or even kill mosquitoes - I earned those breaks and nothing could take them away from me.
Say Hello to Productivity -
I could organize my tasks in a stronger manner and still focus on each task for prolonged periods. I could accomplish more jobs even though I was taking more breaks.
It's worth considering that this technique might not work for everyone. It might not even work for me once i am back in office (post-pandemic). But, do i recommend it? Absolutely. It's worth a couple of days of your life. Give it a shot and feel free to modify the interval to your liking. Go with the flow and you will be addicted!