
Show HN: Pomodoro Calendar: custom printable planners for Pomodoro technique - tulvit
https://pomodorocalendar.com/
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tulvit
Any feedback would be appreciated!

*and I just launched it on PH: [https://www.producthunt.com/posts/pomodoro-calendar](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/pomodoro-calendar)

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blakesterz
I think I know what the pomodoro technique is, but I can't quite figure out
what I'd use the print out for? I track the total I've done in a month? The PH
description has a good backstory, but I'm still not quite sure what to do with
my print out. Maybe this is obvious to those that are pomodoro technique
experts?

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egypturnash
Shit, I’ve been using the Pomodoro technique for a few years (get up, make
some checkboxes representing 25-min units of work you would like to do today,
check them as you do it, possibly use a whimsically-shaped kitchen timer to
keep myself aware of time passing (the original was shaped like a tomato,
hence the name), add other notes/symbols for stuff that took longer than
anticipated or that showed up, look over old checklists now and then, repeat)
and I have no damn idea how I’d use this. Where do I put task descriptions?
Why can I make far more checkboxes than I can use in a day?

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tulvit
Yeah, I know what you mean. Used it in the same manner for some time, but it
didn't work for me.

What works for me is separating tasks (in Trello) and time tracking (on paper!
DeskTime/RescueTime didn't work for me as well, I've used it for quite a while
as well).

And I'm sure I'm not alone (not so sure now, though).

In todo (in trello, huh) there is a task to record a video to describe my
approach... I guess I should make it asap!

Thank you for the feedback! It really means a lot.

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chipuni
I... guess? ... that you're supposed to check off pomodoros as you do a task,
and I... guess?!?... that once you've checked off all the pomodoros in your
printed calendar, the task is supposed to be done...?...

Is that what you're supposed to do with those tomatoes?

Here's a few pieces of advice:

1\. People just aren't that good at estimating their time. 2\. You need to use
paper for more than just a counter. If I just want a counter, I'll use stones
in a bowl. 3\. You need a reason why people would want to keep around their
printed copies of the number of pomodoros.

Here's how I would change things: Think about helping people get better at
estimating the number of pomodoros they took to do an exercise.

The printout should have a date, a description of the task, and an obvious way
to count off pomodoros BEYOND THE NUMBER ESTIMATED.

Suggest that people refer back to previous printouts of pomodoros, so they can
figure out why tasks are taking longer than estimated. (Tasks never take
shorter than estimated.)

That might be useful. But you'll still need to say why it's better to have
this printed out, than to have this information on your tablet, hidden behind
a password.

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tulvit
>that once you've checked off all the pomodoros ... the task is supposed to be
done

Not really. I manage tasks in a todo manager (Trello), pomodoros are just for
time tracking (100h+ working hours per month, 6h+ per working day, so it's
200/12 in a 30-minute pomodoros). It really helps to estimate my progress and
schedule stuff, planning free days, limiting working hours not to burn out,
etc. Or at least it works for me.

Thank you very much for all your points and suggestions, all of them have
sense and are helpful! I really do appreciate it.

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dchest
FYI, I'm not a trademark police, but "Pomodoro" is a registered trademark of
Francesco Cirillo
[http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4810:gia...](http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4810:giavjn.5.21)

"... ELECTRONIC AND MECHANICAL TIMERS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF TIME FOR USE IN
THE FIELD OF TIME MANAGEMENT ..."

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FreakyT
Yeah, I really hope that trademark gets revoked, as the phrase has clearly
been genericized at this point:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark)

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tulvit
Oh, thanks! That way I'll sleep well today :3

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digital-sunbear
If the tomatoes went down the page (vertical) instead of across (horizontal) I
could write things next to them, like task descriptions.

~~~
tulvit
I've added it to a todo-list! Thank you!

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jhymn
I love this idea. So much potential. A way you might improve it is include
tomorrow's Todo list below the tomatoes? That would also make better use of
the paper.

P.S. The price for the PDF may be a touch high. I'd drop it by a buck.

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tulvit
Thank you for the kind words and suggestions!

It's free ("buy" button there is just to motivate people to leave feedback, i.
e. on click there is a message "it's free! to download please submit the
form"). I'll remove it as it doesn't work (7 submissions per 1.5k visits).

Even a cent will be an overprice for a blank sheet with pomodoro images, I
guess. But if I'll be able to ship a really good quality (including
downloading multi-page PDF, per-week planners for the whole year, etc.), then
charging a buck or two will have some sense.

Thanks!

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coddx
just curious, are there really customers who really paid for this?

~~~
tulvit
It's free.

On the "buy" button click there is a message to leave feedback/suggestions to
download.

I thought it'll be a great idea to motivate people to post their ideas.
Counting numbers, it's not: only 7 form submissions for 1.5k visits.

