Time (or a Tomato) Waits for No One
One easy way to practice mono-tasking.
I’m Was Stuck!
I’d been writing two articles daily, one for LinkedIn and one for here on Your Daily Ikigai.
On top of that, I started working on my book.
I was burned out, and ideas were not flowing.
When that happens, one of my go-to techniques is the Pomodoro.
In short, it is 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break and then repeated. The name comes from the tomato timer. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato.
It helped me get unstuck.
One of the 7 Rituals of Calm is mono-tasking or focusing on one thing at a time.
The Pomodoro technique is one of the best ways I’ve found to mono-task.
Image created by Sketchplanations
Here’s the technique as detailed by the creator Francesco Cirillo…
The Pomodoro® Core Process consists of 6 steps:
1. CHOOSE A TASK YOU'D LIKE TO GET DONE
Something big, something small, something you’ve been putting off for a million years: it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s something that deserves your full, undivided attention.
2. SET THE POMODORO® FOR 25 MINUTES
Make a small oath to yourself: I will spend 25 minutes on this task, and I will not interrupt myself. You can do it! After all, it’s just 25 minutes.
3. WORK ON THE TASK UNTIL THE POMODORO® RINGS
Immerse yourself in the task for the next 25 minutes. If you suddenly realize you have something else you need to do, write the task down on a sheet of paper.
4. WHEN THE POMODORO® RINGS, PUT A CHECKMARK ON A PAPER
Congratulations! You’ve spent an entire, interruption-less Pomodoro® on a task.
5. TAKE A SHORT BREAK
Breathe, meditate, grab a cup of coffee, go for a short walk or do something else relaxing (i.e., not work-related). Your brain will thank you later.
6. EVERY 4 POMODOROS, TAKE A LONGER BREAK
Once you’ve completed four pomodoros, you can take a longer break. 20 minutes is good. Or 30. Your brain will use this time to assimilate new information and rest before the next round of Pomodoros.
While a tomato timer is used in the example, any timer will do.
Give it a try!
