If you’ve heard of the word Pomodoro before, it’s probably at the supermarket. It’s a kind of tomato and the Pomodoro Technique was named such when its inventor Francesco Cirillo used a tomato-shaped timer to track his work.

The Pomodoro technique makes sure you’re constantly productive by timing your work in short bursts. To start using the Pomodoro technique, all you’ll need is a timer.

• First, choose your task to finish from a to-do list.
• Then, set the timer to 25 minutes.
• Work on the task until the timer rings then, check off your to-do list.
• Take a short five-minute break after the 25 minutes are over.
• Every four 25-minute sessions (Pomodoro), take a longer break but not more than 30 minutes.

Sometimes there may be distractions especially if you work in the office so use the ‘inform, negotiate and call back’ strategy to help you finish your tasks.

Note: A Pomodoro (25-minute session of work) cannot be paused so if you’re called away on an emergency, you’ll have to end the Pomodoro by saving your work, taking a five-minute break and starting again.

If you’re struggling with productivity, why not try this? Good luck!