The Little Rocks not only let me stockpile my energy, but they let feel like I’ve got some things done before I get on to the important things. I speak about this a bit more on Episode 11 of Mikes on Mics, but I look at those as the tasks that help me build up to a level where I can take on the Big Rocks. I like to have Little Rocks as well on my daily task list. But I like to have Big Rocks ( hat tip to Leo Babauta) to smash through – and The Pomodoro Technique either won’t allow me to do that at all or it forces me to break down them into smaller chunks. Then again, I’m a bit of a pen and paper junkie.Īs someone who has a lot going on, I think that planning the day – especially the day before – is a great idea (and even a must). I do like the low-tech aspect of The Pomodoro Technique, so there’s that. And while the technique is said to promote mental agility, focus and flow, I find that setting up time constraints as such can actually hinder flow because of the knowledge that the timer is going to ring right when you’re in the state of flow. While The Pomodoro Technique can force you to work on something every day, it only allows for 25 minutes of time. I’m not a fan of systems that are that rigid. So when you start your day (or take the time on the day before to plan your day), you need to work out “pomodoros” with the knowledge that you have 25 minutes or less to work on it at any given time. After every four tasks completions ( or “pomodoros”), take a longer break – anywhere between 15–20 minutes.Įssentially, you’re breaking your work down into manageable chunks, but those chunks are defined by the time over and above the task.įor example, if you have a task that takes longer than 25 minutes to complete, then the rigidity of the system forces you to step away from it for 5 minutes and actually prompts you to move on to another task.

Record the time spent on the task with an “x”.Work on the task until the timer goes off.For those of you unfamiliar with this time management/productivity technique, here it is broken down into its basic steps: The Pomodoro Technique has been around for a long time, and it has many devout followers.

Tomato timer strategy