Yeah. There is a part of the pomodoro technique where you capture extraneous thoughts to then offload it from your mind. You look over that stuff during the 5 minute period to see if it was really as urgent as you thought it was. It is structurally similar to the Noting practice from insight/vipassana. My own experience with both pomodoro and meditation is that the mind will try to play tricks on you to get you to avoid doing unpleasant things by bringing up something that is more pleasant. That capture technique is a good way to manage that kind of stuff.
I used to use a notebook (as described in the original Pomodoro pdf) and now I just use org-mode in Spacemacs.
I usually spend the 5 minute break time meditating or working through some empty hand forms. When I do all of that, it has been very effective for marathoning coding without using external stimulants like caffeine.
Added bonus: using the Wim Hof (Iceman) breathing method and cold shower during the 30 minute break to oxygenate the body and brain. I usually feel like I just woke up fresh from a good night sleep, ready to go for another series of pomodoro sessions.
Lastly: I am working (on and off) on taking the principles and View of classical (medieval) non-dual Shaiva Tantra and applying it to writing code. There are a lot of good insights there that are applicable to working in a modern job, and it goes beyond mindfulness. Tantra, in both it's Shaiva and later Buddhist/Vajrayana versions have practices involving creating art, form, aesthetics, and beauty that is often missing from the attitudes towards work and productivity here in America. Tantra requires a solid foundation in mindfulness (among other things).
I used to use a notebook (as described in the original Pomodoro pdf) and now I just use org-mode in Spacemacs.
I usually spend the 5 minute break time meditating or working through some empty hand forms. When I do all of that, it has been very effective for marathoning coding without using external stimulants like caffeine.
Added bonus: using the Wim Hof (Iceman) breathing method and cold shower during the 30 minute break to oxygenate the body and brain. I usually feel like I just woke up fresh from a good night sleep, ready to go for another series of pomodoro sessions.
Lastly: I am working (on and off) on taking the principles and View of classical (medieval) non-dual Shaiva Tantra and applying it to writing code. There are a lot of good insights there that are applicable to working in a modern job, and it goes beyond mindfulness. Tantra, in both it's Shaiva and later Buddhist/Vajrayana versions have practices involving creating art, form, aesthetics, and beauty that is often missing from the attitudes towards work and productivity here in America. Tantra requires a solid foundation in mindfulness (among other things).