Pomodoro technique is a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and is quite effective in increasing work productivity. I’ve experimented with the Pomodoro technique and have received extremely positive results in increasing my own writing productivity.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
Image Credit: Luca Mascaro/Flickr
“Pomodoros” is an Italian term which means tomato. Pomodoro technique uses a timer to break down periods of work into 25-minute intervals called ‘Pomodoros’ separated by breaks.
The pomodoro technique is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that can be used to track your writing sessions.
Five Steps to implement the Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro Technique can be implemented in your writing work-life by following these five basic steps:
There are five basic steps to implementing the technique:
- Decide on the writing task to be done (TOC, Outline, or a documentation plan)
- Set the pomodoro (timer) to 25 minutes (or one pomodoros unit) (Download a free Pomodoro based timer)
- Work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x or put a check mark on a work-sheet (Download a free Pomodoro work-sheet)
- Take a five minute short break (5 minutes)
- Take a longer break (15-20 minutes) after every four “pomodoros”
Psychology of the Pomodoro Technique
As other timeboxing techniques of time management, the Pomodoro technique utilizes an indivisible 25-minutes block of time to perform a task. Once the task is done then it is recorded adding to a sense of accomplishment. A lot of software programmers have adopted this technique in writing code for a module.
Free Book about the Pomodoro Technique
Francesco Cirillo, creator of the Pomodoro technique, has written a book about his technique which is available for a free download on his
website. You can download the free book about the Pomodoro Technique
here.
You can also download a free Pomodoro Cheat-sheet
here.
This blog post was written in two pomorodos (25 minutes each) using the pomodoro technique. What do you think about the pomodoro technique? Do you think it can really improve your writing productivity? Leave a comment and let me know.
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Technical Writing ToolBox 
I am eager to try it out!
I’d love to hear about your experience with the Pomodoro technique. Let us know if it works for you.
What an intriguing and fascinating idea! For writers looking for how to write faster WITHOUT sacrificing quality, this is a must see! Thank you, Technical Writing ToolBox!
Thanks for your kind words, Adam.
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