Have you ever imagined after waking that you go to the bathroom, dress up and work? And after half an hour that you are laying in your pajamas and that was the last call of your alarm? The worst part of it not the being late part but the loss that you weren’t productive. You just slept in and had a happy dream about being closer to your goal. As I get older I feel that I should learn new things, sleep all day and binge-watch series at the same time. Before I didn’t feel the binge-watch part and I was always ready to go and learn. Now I need some magic trick to get up and go so I tried out Pomodoro.

And now I’m super successful and did everything that I wanted in my life (#highlife). No, it didn’t solve my problems and I’m the same lazyass that should use the technic but too lazy to make the tasks.

First, let’s see how to do it.

The essence of the technique is the 25 min concentrated attention on the one thing you want to do. I think the biggest problem for me to define my tasks. So the first thing is specifying what you want to do. Look at the main goal and divide it into 4 parts and after that four more and more until it can’t be smaller. When you got the smallest parts, make the hierarchy. I use trello for this but a piece of paper can be okay or some post it on the wall. When that’s ready too, then lets Pomodoro.

How to begin?

  • I’m sure that you are aware of what kind of environment is the best for you, chaos or tidy. I don’t want to encourage you to make chaos, but do it if needed.
  • Turn your mobile into silent mode and take it to a place, where you can’t reach it. The key not to see and not to hear it. Maybe flight mode?
  • Make sure that your slack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, skype, discord, Gmail are in silent mode and no open tabs for these.
  • Leave your smartwatch next to your phone if you are not strong enough to put your phone into flight mode.
  • Bring a timer and set it to 25 min. That’s the given frame for you to work out the first section of the task.
  • When it goes off, then set it to 5 min and celebrate your extraordinary working culture or just drink something. The most important that you get up and go for a stroll.
  • After taking a break here comes the next 25 min section and repeat until you are done or had enough.

When you use Pomodoro, you won’t be faster or better. You use your full potential on the chosen task. It seems faster but you just throw out the ballast. My first try was a kind of failure. I was looking around and after the 20th minute, I began to concentrate on the task. After a week it was kind of smooth but sometimes it just can’t do the trick. Boring tasks are boring so sometimes you have to reframe to work it out, take a nap or go to your happy place. And I’m sure that you can’t use it at work. In an office, it’s kind of unimaginable that nobody bothers you for 25 mins for at least 2 hours. 

I believe it’s a great trick to your brain and you can make more time for yourself and less guilt about not doing something that you really want. Little steps are more than nothing and if it’s not your thing then you don’t live with the pressure that you couldn’t try it out because you are lazy. #fomo There are things that you should try out and some that you don’t but regretting is the worst thing that you can do. So try yourself!

Just to be sure don’t forget the most important it’s for solving tasks and not life crises. If you need time to think through some problems, then take your time and don’t push yourself. Life decisions can’t be solved in 25 mins thinking sessions. Thinking it through it can be, but if you change it tomorrow maybe it wasn’t too useful.

Recommendation:

  • I recommend it for home office or your home project, but definitely not around people
  • It’s for solving your tasks, not your feelings