WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POMODORO TECHNIQUE?

As a student, you often face assignments, quizzes and exams. It is common to see students struggle when many of them have a hard time studying. This is caused by an ineffective way of learning which could affect your studies and your health. When you enter university, of course, there are some methods that you should change as it is not suitable for a higher institution. Therefore, you should change the method of your studies and find a perfect technique to study better with a lesser workload than before. There are many study methods you can apply, one of them is the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro technique is a technique created in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was a student back then and he was struggling with his studies. Then, he created a technique which only requires a timer. The name “Pomodoro” comes from an Italian word which means “tomato” as Francesco Cirillo found a timer shaped like a tomato. The technique went worldwide after he published a 130-page book about the method. 

The Pomodoro Technique focuses on 25 minutes of work time. As one Pomodoro is 25 minutes, a small task which can be done in less than 25 minutes should be done together in one session to use the amount of time as much as possible. Then, Pomodoro Technique requires you to break down the complex tasks to at least make progress on your task in one Pomodoro. The technique is created to help people to focus on each period of work, so it is better to just focus on one topic rather than do two topics at once. If you want to make an essay with 2000 words, you can break it down into 1000 words each Pomodoros in order for you to focus on one Pomodoro.

As you are only required to focus on one particular task, this method is designed against multitasking. Even though as a student multitasking can give some advantages, the human brain is not designed for multitasking for a long duration of time in one day. Some people tried to multitask but ended up feeling burned out, so this technique might be strange for people who are used to multitasking. Instead of doing multiple tasks in one period, you can just divide it and put the rest into the upcoming periods of Pomodoros. By that, the focus of the first 25 minutes can be applied maximally.

Once the Pomodoro is set, you cannot just pause it to check messages or get some snacks. To complete your task, you are required to focus on your task and not check chats or even look at your social media. You can have the time to do that every five minutes break. But how about unavoidable disruption? Sometimes unexpected events can come during your work, and the only thing you can do is to end the Pomodoro and start a new one later or postpone the distraction until you are done with your task and your Pomodoro is complete. According to Cirillo, you can use either of these four strategies:

1. Inform the party who is distracting you that you are in the middle of the work and cannot be disturbed.
2. Negotiate with the party to come back when your Pomodoro is completed.
3. Schedule time with your party to follow up when your Pomodoro is completed.
4. Call back your party by telling or contacting them when your Pomodoro is completed.

The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most straightforward techniques for studying or working on assignments. The method is easy as it only requires five steps:

1. Decide a task you want to do 
2. Get a timer and set it for 25 minutes (one Pomodoro is 25 minutes)
3. Work on the task until the timer rings and put a checkmark on your paper after your progress.
4. Take a short break for five minutes
5. After your break, repeat the timer for 25 minutes. After four periods of Pomodoro, take a longer break of 20-30 minutes.

By using Pomodoro Technique, you can complete your task easier and improve your focus. Even though it takes a lot of time and you need to get used to it, It has so many benefits for you especially to work on your assignment and studies at university. So, do you want to try Pomodoro Technique and improve your study method?

References:

Boogaard, K. (2022, January 24). Take it from someone who hates productivity hacks—the pomodoro technique actually works. The Muse. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.themuse.com/advice/take-it-from-someone-who-hates-productivity-hacksthe-pomodoro-technique-actually-works#:%7E:text=What%20Is%20the%20Pomodoro%20Technique,are%20referred%20to%20as%20pomodoros.

Dodge, M. (2020, March 4). The pomodoro technique: Make your schedule productive. Jobillico.Com. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.jobillico.com/blog/en/the-pomodoro-technique/

Henry, A. (2022, March 3). Productivity 101: An introduction to the pomodoro technique. Lifehacker. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730

The pomodoro technique — Why it works & how to do it. (n.d.). Todoist. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique#what-is-the-pomodoro-technique