The Pomodoro Technique - Learn to Manage your Time
The Pomodoro technique is a way for you to manage your study time more effectively.
How would you answer these questions?
* Do you put off doing your homework?
* Do you sometimes feel like doing homework is painful?
If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, then you might like to know that many people agree with you.
Sometimes we procrastinate (which means we delay working on something we know we have to do) because we believe that the work will be difficult. There are so many other things we would prefer to do. We are aware that an assignment is due, maybe tomorrow, or maybe not until next week, but there is a due date.
Instead of procrastinating, try the Pomodoro technique. What's that? It is an easy technique to help you learn to focus on your work.
So what do you have to do?
Before you start you need to make sure that nothing will distract you. What does that mean? Turn off your cell phone, the television and any other electronics that will distract you. Then follow these directions and find a quiet place to do your work.
1. Pick your task - What homework will you work on?
2. Set your timer for 25 minutes.
3. Focus on your task for the full 25 minutes.
4. When the timer goes off give yourself a pat on the back and take a 5 minute break. Play a game for 5 minutes or call a friend. Take a quick walk or eat something. Move out of the focused mode of learning and into the diffuse mode of learning.
Repeat again if you need to do more work.
Are you wondering how many times you can do a Pomodoro session? If your brain is happy and you are accomplishing work do 2 or 3 more. If you need to do more than 4 sessions, take a longer break after the 4th one, 30 minutes would be good, and then come back. And did you know that it is best to not study the same subject for a long period of time? Mix it up. Check out this visual called Time Management Cheat Sheet.
Are you wondering if you can work for more than 25 minutes? The answer is yes, but try not to work more than about 50 minutes in the focused mode before you take a break.
Here is an infographic that is similar to the Pomodor Technique but it has some other ideas too. Check it out to learn how to "beat procrastination."
The image of the tomato is from Pixabay. Retrieved August 20, 2014. Pixabay provides images that are free of of copyrights and licensed under Creative Commons public domain deed CCO.
How would you answer these questions?
* Do you put off doing your homework?
* Do you sometimes feel like doing homework is painful?
If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, then you might like to know that many people agree with you.
Sometimes we procrastinate (which means we delay working on something we know we have to do) because we believe that the work will be difficult. There are so many other things we would prefer to do. We are aware that an assignment is due, maybe tomorrow, or maybe not until next week, but there is a due date.
Instead of procrastinating, try the Pomodoro technique. What's that? It is an easy technique to help you learn to focus on your work.
So what do you have to do?
Before you start you need to make sure that nothing will distract you. What does that mean? Turn off your cell phone, the television and any other electronics that will distract you. Then follow these directions and find a quiet place to do your work.
1. Pick your task - What homework will you work on?
2. Set your timer for 25 minutes.
3. Focus on your task for the full 25 minutes.
4. When the timer goes off give yourself a pat on the back and take a 5 minute break. Play a game for 5 minutes or call a friend. Take a quick walk or eat something. Move out of the focused mode of learning and into the diffuse mode of learning.
Repeat again if you need to do more work.
Are you wondering how many times you can do a Pomodoro session? If your brain is happy and you are accomplishing work do 2 or 3 more. If you need to do more than 4 sessions, take a longer break after the 4th one, 30 minutes would be good, and then come back. And did you know that it is best to not study the same subject for a long period of time? Mix it up. Check out this visual called Time Management Cheat Sheet.
Are you wondering if you can work for more than 25 minutes? The answer is yes, but try not to work more than about 50 minutes in the focused mode before you take a break.
Here is an infographic that is similar to the Pomodor Technique but it has some other ideas too. Check it out to learn how to "beat procrastination."
The image of the tomato is from Pixabay. Retrieved August 20, 2014. Pixabay provides images that are free of of copyrights and licensed under Creative Commons public domain deed CCO.
This infographic comes from The University of British Columbia on a page called Managing Your Time. Retrieved August 10, 2014. The website states "Except where otherwise stated, the work on this site is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License."
Additional Resources
Videos
The Science Behind Procrastination - And How To Manage It - This video explains procrastination and discusses the Pomodoro technique. There may be a couple of words that are hard to understand if you are in elementary or middle school, but ask a friend, or a teacher, or your parents, or look it up in a dictionary.
Why we Procrastinate - This is a TedxYouth Talk by Vik Nithy. He has founded 3 companies, and he is only 20 years old. He talks about his experience with procrastination in school. You will learn more about your brain and how it works if you watch this video.
Book
Oakley, Barbara. A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2014.
Article
Henry, Alan. Productivity 101: A Primer to the Pomodoro Technique. Lifehacker. Published July 2, 2014. Retrieved August 15,2014.
Websites
The Pomodoro Technique - This website discusses the Pomodoro Technique and provides additional information. It is the site that Francesco Cirillo mentions on his personal website as a "one-stop shop for for official Pomodoro productivity tools." Along with tools you will find a video, the "who, why, how and benefits" of the Pomodoro technique and much more.
A Field Guide to Procrastinators - What kind of procrastinator are you? This page shows 15 ways you might procrastinate. Do you go eat a snack instead of working? Do you play games instead of working? These are two ways you might procrastinate. Maybe on one of your breaks you can check out this website!
Additional Resources
Videos
The Science Behind Procrastination - And How To Manage It - This video explains procrastination and discusses the Pomodoro technique. There may be a couple of words that are hard to understand if you are in elementary or middle school, but ask a friend, or a teacher, or your parents, or look it up in a dictionary.
Why we Procrastinate - This is a TedxYouth Talk by Vik Nithy. He has founded 3 companies, and he is only 20 years old. He talks about his experience with procrastination in school. You will learn more about your brain and how it works if you watch this video.
Book
Oakley, Barbara. A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2014.
Article
Henry, Alan. Productivity 101: A Primer to the Pomodoro Technique. Lifehacker. Published July 2, 2014. Retrieved August 15,2014.
Websites
The Pomodoro Technique - This website discusses the Pomodoro Technique and provides additional information. It is the site that Francesco Cirillo mentions on his personal website as a "one-stop shop for for official Pomodoro productivity tools." Along with tools you will find a video, the "who, why, how and benefits" of the Pomodoro technique and much more.
A Field Guide to Procrastinators - What kind of procrastinator are you? This page shows 15 ways you might procrastinate. Do you go eat a snack instead of working? Do you play games instead of working? These are two ways you might procrastinate. Maybe on one of your breaks you can check out this website!