A table to teach you how to use the Pomodoro Technique

What is the Pomodoro Technique? Simply put, make a list of what you want to do that day, set an alarm for 25 minutes, and start with the first thing. In addition, there must be daily reviews, making daily commitments, controlling interruptions, estimating the time required, etc.

I came into contact with the Pomodoro Technique very early. I used the Pomodoro Technique to stay efficient and focused during my self-study in college.

The tool mentioned in the book is a kitchen timer that looks like a tomato. But it is obviously not suitable in places such as libraries and offices that require quietness.

The tool I use is an app "Forest" in the iOS system. It takes 25 minutes to grow a tree. If a mobile phone is used during this period, the tree will die. In order to reduce evil I will control myself not to use my mobile phone during this time.

Below is a table used in the Pomodoro Technique. People who are accustomed to using computers can use Excel to make a table to record tomatoes. If you are used to using pen and paper, you can also write in a notebook in this format.

Combined with the table above, let’s talk about the process of using Pomodoro.

Write down all the backlogged work in the activity list on the left. You don’t have to follow the order when writing. After writing, sort them according to importance, and then record them in the to-do list in order.

Draw squares in the estimated tomatoes behind each to-do item, with each square representing a tomato. If the estimate is exceeded, a second estimate is made and the second estimate is circled. If the second estimate is still exceeded, draw the triangle symbol.

Collect the number of interruptions at the end of the day and write them into the "Records" table.

Extract useful information from the raw data recorded. For example, you can calculate the average number of interruptions encountered in each 25-minute period.

Ultimately you have to organize the information in some way to find ideas for improving the process. If you want to obtain work habits that are most suitable for the actual situation, during the self-adjustment process, you should basically do this kind of review every day.

One Pomodoro every 25 minutes, and take a 5-minute break after each Pomodoro. Do a set of 4 Pomodoros and rest for 30 minutes after completion. Authors often want to complete 12 Pomodoros in a day (which in the end is "only" equivalent to 6 hours), but reality shows that 8 Pomodoros are more practical, because the Pomodoro method only counts the time of concentration.

How to rest efficiently, the book gives a method:

I have used this method many times. It is actually to rest the eyeballs. Many times I feel tired because my eyes are tired. . Using this method, the relaxation of other parts of the body is not obvious, but the tension in the eyeballs can be greatly relieved.

Interruptions during the Pomodoro period come in two forms.

Specifically, intuition signals the mind to do something other than what it is currently focusing on. Each time an internal interrupt is encountered, put an apostrophe (') in the marked column.

Someone comes to you to ask questions or ask you for help, and they are waiting for your reply. Every time you encounter an external interruption, if you are not going to deal with this new activity today, write it into the "Activity List" table, mark it with the deadline, and a "U" for "unplanned". Otherwise, write it into the "Unplanned Emergency" area in the lower half of the "To-Do Today" form. Then draw a minus sign (-) in the currently active label column.