The Pomodoro Technique

When a big task looms, my tendency is to dive-in headfirst, think later, and organize last. It’s as if my mind shifts into overdrive, declaring, “Just do it, Louise, or you’ll never finish!” And so I plunge in, relentlessly pushing until the job is done. My hyper-focus can be an admirable trait, I can get a lot done and am adept at juggling multiple balls all at once while staying focused on the task at hand.

The trouble is, in my ‘get ‘er done’ mode of getting the job done, if it involves multiple components, I have a natural tendency to hop between them without much thought for logistics or logical order. This chaotic approach often leads to burnout, frustration, and a final result that’s either haphazardly completed or abandoned altogether. (Not my proudest trait, I admit.)

Yesterday, while wrestling with my disorganized studio (yes, even organizers struggle with organization), I realized I needed a more focused, strategic approach. Taking a break from the chaos, I brewed a cup of tea and turned to Dr. Google for advice on “How to tackle big tasks without burning out.”

That’s when I stumbled upon The Pomodoro Technique. Invented and named by Francesco Cirillo, an Italian university student who used a tomato-shaped timer to power through his final exams (pomodoro is Italian for tomato), this technique aims to combat burnout, procrastination, and overwhelm.

The premise is simple: break your work into 25-minute chunks, timing each segment. At the end of each 25 minutes, take a five-minute break. After four of these focused sessions, take a longer break of 25-30 minutes.

By the time I discovered the Pomodoro Technique, I’d been working in my studio for 3 hours. And, while I’d accomplished a fair bit, I felt overwhelmed by all I still had to do to create calm in my creative space. It was late in the day when I applied the Pomodoro, and yet, after four 25 + 5-minute cycles, I felt more accomplished, calm and content, than in the previous 3 hours of work. Let’s see how today unfolds as I plan on incorporating it into my process to complete the task and move onto the storage area and garage!

BTW – During my Dr. Google consultation, I did come across other time management systems. After all, organizing our time and energy is a personal matter. I’ve tried countless methods, always slipping back into haphazard chaos. For me, the Pomodoro Technique seems to resonate with my natural rhythms and need for variety and focus all at the same time. Knowing the timer will ring in 25 minutes keeps me on task and prevents me from spiraling into “just get it done” overwhelm. Plus, it reminds me to take frequent breaks – which are much healthier than my ‘do it ’til I drop’ method for accomplishing physical labour oriented tasks.

Other Time Management Methods:

• Timeboxing: Set a fixed amount of time for a task and work on it until the time is up, regardless of whether it’s finished.
• Time Blocking: Schedule specific blocks of time in your day for different tasks or activities.
• Eat the Frog: Tackle your most challenging or unpleasant task first thing in the morning.
• Getting Things Done (GTD): Capture, organize, and prioritize tasks, breaking down large projects into smaller steps.
• Flowtime Technique: Work on a task until you naturally feel like taking a break.
• The Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance.