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Hello, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! Every successful person knows how to plan activities and manage their time effectively, and the most popular tool in this process is the tomato technique.
History of occurrence
It all started with the fact that in the 1980s, Francesco Cirillo began to experience the first symptoms of a depressive syndrome. And all due to the fact that, as a student, he devoted all his time to studying and preparing for tests, exams, and so on. But, despite the fact that he devoted himself completely to this process, the successes were insignificant. Life turned into an endless race, not having time to complete one task — there was a need to urgently hand over the second.
This is how Francesco spent the first training course without rest, and when he realized that he could not continue like this, he decided to study the issue of the ratio of the level of efficiency and the time spent on the task. To measure this ratio, he chose a timer in the form of a tomato, lying around in the kitchen. That is why the method has such an unusual name.
The essence of this tool and scope
In the daily life of every person, there are a lot of irritants to which he unconsciously switches his attention, thus losing time. And with the help of the Pomodoro method, you will increase the efficiency of your activities. Also reduce the risk of getting any psychosomatic illness against the background of stress, lack of rest and various experiences in connection with the occurrence of a deadline.
Your self-esteem will increase against the background of the fact that you will see the result of your actions, which will inevitably lead to the emergence of strong motivation and the desire to move in the same direction, realizing your capabilities and achieving your goal. And determination and assertiveness are the key to success.
When should it be applied
But first, you must determine for yourself how you treat your time. How valuable is it to you?
If you are prone to procrastination and usually try to keep yourself busy, just to “kill” him out of boredom, then first you should work on yourself, otherwise the tomato tool will not be useful.
Feeling the value of your life, you will understand that every minute is precious, during which you can do a lot. After all, procrastination, that is, postponing unwanted actions, events for later, is not innate.
We ourselves allow this disease to gain power over us, as, in principle, we can easily deprive him of this pleasure.
After all, we don’t need to experience guilt, annoyance, disappointment, anxiety and confusion once again, right?
Scopes of a tomato
- Effective in planning activities, ranking tasks by priority. Just remember to set the timer when you start filling out your diary. By the way, you can learn how to properly conduct it from this instruction.
- Great for controlling and keeping track of how much time was spent on some business, which in the future will help you to be more realistic about the process of achieving the goal. And this, by the way, is invaluable in working with clients, because you will know what terms and results to focus on. And in relations with business partners, you will look like a person who deserves trust and recognition.
- It is indispensable when analyzing your activity during the day. For example, you can keep a daily record of the amount of time spent on a tomato, and at the end of the week you can check how much faster you began to work. On what days does the peak of your ability to work come, and what external or internal stimuli can significantly affect it? And if you start a graph, you can also track over the years how much your productivity changes.
Instructions
1. First of all, define a goal, that is, a task that needs to be completed. If it is voluminous, divide it into stages.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and get to work without being distracted by any other processes and irritants. As a last resort, if you suddenly get an insight about a completely different task, make a note in a notebook or on a sheet, and go back until your Pomodoro signals the start of a break.
3. Now you have 5 minutes to relax and unwind. Try to refrain from checking mail and news on social networks, otherwise you will get out of the rhythm, five minutes will definitely not be enough for this, and you won’t really feel that you have gained strength and are able to start working further.
4. Every two hours, or to be more precise, every 115 minutes, be sure to take a big break, about 15-20 minutes, so that you can have a snack, chat with colleagues and more.
Basic rules and recommendations
- To make it easier to keep track of the number of spent tomatoes, put a tick on a separate sheet after each timer call, or mark it in a diary in some other way, the main thing is that it is convenient for you to do this all the time.
- Remember that the first time it may not work out, here you need to get used to the new program, the system of work. After all, you built your entire previous life according to completely different rules, and it will be difficult to sharply subject it to such boundaries. But with a little bit of effort, you will notice changes for the better, so be patient. Psychologists believe that daily practice for 21 days forms a habit. So if you last three weeks, you’ll be working on the Pomodoro method so quickly that it’s like you’ve been using it all your life.
- Try taking short breaks for health benefits. Do gymnastics for the eyes, body, ventilate the office, and even better, use the techniques from the article «The problem of restoring vitality and energy: basic practices and exercises.»
- Try not to use other time intervals, increasing or vice versa, shortening them, 25 minutes is the best option in which a person will be able to keep his attention on one process. If you have difficulty with this, then be sure to study the article on concentration.
Conclusion
And finally, dear readers, I would like to recommend that you read an article about time management, which briefly describes the main ways to manage your time. Take care of yourself and loved ones!