

The Pomodoro Technique - stop procastinating and make deadlines your friend - qaexl
http://www.tecnicadelpomodoro.it/docs/francesco-cirillo/2007/ThePomodoroTechnique_v1-3.pdf

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swombat
Anyone read it? Is it worth reading? 44 pages is pretty lengthy if it's just
the usual masturbatory self-improvement stuff (but I'm willing to believe that
it's not, if someone can summarise why it _is_ better than the other stuff)...

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olefoo
condensed version:

1\. use a kitchen timer

2\. minimize interruptions

3\. work in iterations of 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks

4\. change it up sometimes longer or shorter breaks longer or shorter work
chunks.

5\. plan your day

6\. change your plans as needed.

That's pretty much it.

//Pomodoro=tomato //his first kitchen timer was shaped like one.

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swombat
Ah yes, I tried that for a while. Even wrote an article about it:
[http://www.inter-sections.net/2008/04/23/de-batching-or-
how-...](http://www.inter-sections.net/2008/04/23/de-batching-or-how-to-
juggle-too-many-balls)

It works well, but gets boring after a while... I've found it works best when
you're drowning under a sea of small tasks.

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metaguri
Why does it work best for small tasks? His example tasks are 5-8 pomodoros
long.

In my opinion, no self-help guide applies for everyone; we all have our own
strengths and vices.

It seems that this one is designed to help build concentration and minimize
interruptions by defining concrete "work unit" blocks, thus helping to build
discipline in fighting off distractions (internal & external).

I don't feel strongly about his views on the perception of time, but it's not
that important to the whole article.

~~~
swombat
_Why does it work best for small tasks?_

Well, in my case, when I'm doing a long task that I enjoy I tend to enter an
obsessive mode that's far more productive if uninterrupted.

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gcheong
My main problem is just getting started on a task, but once I get started I
can usually follow through. What do people here do to get over that inertial
bump?

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Shamiq
Make it into a ritualized behavior. A 5 minute routine that says "and now I'm
going to make this task my main effort".

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0112358
I read the whole article. It is designed for certain types of task, and it is
not appropriate to others. For example, sometimes my tasks involve, "travel to
the city and speak with Joe." "Travel to the city" takes 40 minutes. It should
not be split into two work units with a break in between. Further, "speak with
Joe" would not be splittable. How am I going to say, "Joe, when the timer
rings, we are going to get up and not talk to one another for 5 minutes."

However, for desk-work it might help me. I have to stop every 20 minutes and
take a 5 minute break anyway due to RSI. Using this interval as an atomic unit
for task completion, recording, and estimation may be useful.

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kolya3
I've been using this trick when dealing with boring tasks, to prevent my mind
from wandering. If you are on a Mac, this widget can crack the whip on you by
chiming at regular intervals:
<http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/prodme.html>

Of course, the preferable solution is to find a job where your tasks aren't
boring.

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sethg
I like the general idea, although if I had a kitchen timer ticking on my
physical desktop and going off every 25 minutes, my officemates would beat me
senseless, which could have some impact on my productivity.

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qaexl
[http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/17-01/mf_sel...](http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/17-01/mf_self_help?currentPage=1)

"Diary of a Self-Help Dropout: Flirting With the 4-Hour Workweek"

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RK
I can recommend getting timer-applet if you're running Gnome.

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creativeembassy
I may actually try this. I think I'll pick up a timer after work.

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metaguri
If you have an iPhone, it has a nice timer app built in (not necessarily
directed only to you creativeembassy, but to the general, largely iPhone-using
HN public)

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Shamiq
I've had the timer randomly quit on me if I switched off the phone, which made
me lose confidence in it.

Whatever the bug was may have been fixed, but that doubt stops me from using
it exclusively.

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edw519
This sort of thing seems to work well when you have a lot of well defined work
to do.

But what do you do if your work is not well defined or clear cut? Sometimes
slowing down, taking a step back, looking at the big picture, and thinking
outside the box produces much less work with much more impact. Then you don't
need your timer nearly as much.

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kristiandupont
I have been using the technique for a couple of months now. I love it and I
would say that for me, it works for both kinds of work. I know it sounds
silly, but it has come to a point where the ticking sound is my work-mode
reminder which helps me stay focused. Also, I have started competing with
myself to see how many pomodoros a day I can do.

~~~
qaexl
I've been using a timer on the computer. I think a ticker might drive me nuts,
but I get what you mean by the ticking sound.

I've been using something similar for my meditative practice, only I use
incense. I sit there until the entire stick burns off. What ends up happening
is that I subconsciously associate the meditative state with the smell of
sandalwood incense.

