{"id":780,"date":"2010-03-25T13:10:20","date_gmt":"2010-03-25T11:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-alexis.monville.com\/?p=780"},"modified":"2017-09-29T21:41:07","modified_gmt":"2017-09-29T19:41:07","slug":"pomodoro-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog-alexis.monville.com\/en\/2010\/03\/25\/pomodoro-technique\/","title":{"rendered":"Pomodoro Technique"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I will take the next 25 minutes writing this article about the Pomodoro technique<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After a discussion around life hacking tricks (see here in French: http:\/\/lifehacking.grassouille.org\/<\/a>) I am trying to adopt the Pomodoro technique.<\/p>\n

The method is simple, and the tooling that you will need is basic: a timer, a sheet of paper and a pencil.<\/p>\n

It’s a five-step process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plan the tasks to do at the beginning of the day<\/li>\n
  2. Stick to this during the day during each Pomodoro cycle<\/li>\n
  3. Record your daily observations<\/li>\n
  4. Convert the raw data in information<\/li>\n
  5. Visualize daily information to find improvement areas<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Writing this, I can see that step 1 is not a problem (I was already doing this using a mindmap to represent my daily activities). I was also quite good with the step 2 (I will describe the experiment later in the article). Not so good on step 3, and I didn’t start applying the two last steps…<\/p>\n

    What is a Pomodoro?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    A Pomodoro represents 25 minutes of work without any interruption. I can see how I am efficient when I focus on one activity. I am also able to measure how much time it takes to do each activity (It’s easy to count the Pomodoros on the mindmap).<\/p>\n

    After 25 minutes, 5 minutes break… The first times, it’s too early! And at the same time, it’s terrific! I can adjust my posture, breath, drink a glass of water… From time to time, the temptation to continue to work even if the timer ring is high, so I can understand that some Pomodoro software block the keyboard…<\/p>\n

    After 4 Pomodoros, the break is longer from 15 to 30 minutes… And it seems long! I tried to reduce this time to 10 minutes… And I have observed that I was not taking enough breaks before being “too” tired or “too” stretched… Significant learning, I need to work on that!<\/p>\n

    Either for short or long break, it’s difficult to stop and to stop to think about the work we are doing… I also observe that when I can do it, it’s straightforward to get back to the previous activity after the break.<\/p>\n

    Interruptions<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Pomodoros are steps of work without interruption. And it’s hard to stick to that. When the phone ring or when I have a notification on IRC. When the counter of new messages raises suddenly, or if a colleague asks a question. Resisting the temptation is difficult. But when I do it, there’s a lot of benefits. Another improvement topic there.<\/p>\n

    Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The major advantage is that the focus on a particular task improves my efficiency.<\/p>\n

    Difficulty<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The pressure generated by the timer on the top right of my screen is sometimes quite significant. The pressure increases when I see that the estimates of my work are wrong and that I will not be able to deliver what was planned. Estimates are difficult, a recurring problem to address in another post.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I will stick to that technique and will explore all the steps.<\/p>\n

    It took me two Pomodoros to write this. Two times the estimates.
    \n<\/em><\/p>\n

    Resources :<\/p>\n