The Italian 'tomato technique' is an easy way to get more done while avoiding burnout

For many people, it is difficult to stay focused on a task or to study. Not only are there distractions all around us, but there is just waning interest in what you’re doing and outright fatigue. Then there are times when you do keep focus and work for hours, but feel so incredibly spent and burnt out afterward that you wonder if your efforts yielded poorer results because you weren’t in top form. If this sounds like you, then an Italian college student in the 1980s has a productivity hack for you to try that helps maintain focus and prevent burnout.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

In the late 1980s, then-student Francesco Cirillo was having trouble focusing on studying for a final exam. Looking for ways to keep focus, Cirillo took a tomato-shaped kitchen timer and set it for a few minutes. During that time, he focused solely on studying until he heard the timer go off. He found that this approach made it easier for him to concentrate.

After experimenting with different time intervals over the years, Cirillo found that a 25-minute work period followed by a five-minute break was the ideal ratio for focused concentration and rest. Since then, universities and studies have shown that his “Pomodoro Technique” (pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian) is an effective way to stay on task while still taking fulfilling breaks that lead to positive results.

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Even though Cirillo wrote a whole book about his method, the actual application is pretty simple and straightforward. Basically, set a timer for 25 minutes, do your task during that time, take a five-minute break when the timer goes off, and repeat. If your task is longer than “four pomodoros” worth of 25-on, five-off time intervals, take a longer 15 to 30-minute break to fully restore yourself. This technique is adaptable to whether you fit multiple tasks into the 25-minute period or find yourself “in the zone” and work beyond it. For longer work, you would take a longer break. The technique is adaptable by design.

Why is the Pomodoro Technique so effective?

The reason so many people say it works is that, while on the surface the Pomodoro Technique is about time management, it does more than that. By forcing yourself to work on something within a time frame and knowing when to stop, you’re taking your laundry list of tasks or a larger task and breaking them down into what you can do with the time you have, rather than feeling intimidated by the bigger scope.

This is why many psychologists, especially those who work with young students, recommend this technique for people who procrastinate or are diagnosed with ADHD. It can provide progress without distraction in as big or small digestible chunks of time as possible, while providing structured time for the mind to be free from distraction. It helps the brain reset itself from task to rest to task through the timer.

The next time you have a giant to-do list or have a large, important task that needs to be tackled, see if the Pomodoro Technique can help. If it’s anything that these practitioners say, you’ll be able to get a lot done, feel more accomplished, and will be less exhausted as a result.