Flight

The Pomodoro Technique, and when to bend the rules

25 minutes of focus, a 5-minute break, and a longer one every four rounds. Where the Pomodoro Technique comes from, why it works, and how to adapt it for deep work.

· 4 min read

The Pomodoro Technique fits in one sentence: work for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and after four rounds take a longer one. It has been around since the late 1980s, and it's still one of the best ways to get going on work you've been putting off.

Where it comes from

Francesco Cirillo came up with it as a university student, timing his study sessions with a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, and each 25-minute session is called a pomodoro.

The basic loop

  1. Pick one task.
  2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on that task, and only that task.
  3. If something else comes to mind, write it down and get back to the task.
  4. When the timer rings, take a 5-minute break: stand up, look away from the screen.
  5. After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

Why it works

  • Starting is easy. The hardest part of a big task is the first minute. Committing to 25 minutes is a much smaller ask than committing to finishing.
  • The breaks are built in, so you rest before you're worn out, and you don't feel guilty about it.
  • Time becomes something you can count. “This report is about three pomodoros” is an estimate you can check, and after a few weeks your estimates get much better.
  • Distractions become visible. Writing each one down shows you what actually pulls you away, and most of them can wait for the break.

When to bend the rules

Twenty-five minutes suits email, admin and anything you're dreading. For deep work, like writing, design or code, it can end just as you're getting into it. Plenty of people stretch the focus to 50 minutes with a 10-minute break, or work in 90-minute blocks.

Cirillo's rule is that when the timer rings, you stop. In practice, finishing the sentence you're on does no harm; skipping the break every time does, because the breaks are what keep the last session of the day as good as the first.

And if a task takes less than a pomodoro, group it with other small ones: a pomodoro of replies, a pomodoro of tidying up.

Try it

Our free Pomodoro timer does the 25 and 5 for you, with a long break every four rounds, and ends each session on an airliner's seat-belt chime. For longer sessions, Flight turns your focus time into a real flight: an hour is London to Amsterdam (57m), and your plane lands when you're done.

More from the blog

  1. Why it's so easy to focus on a planeNo notifications, an end you can see, nowhere to go and a steady hum. Why so many people do their best work on a flight, and how to get the same focus at your desk.
  2. Why jet lag is worse when you fly eastFlying east usually hits harder than flying west. Why your body clock prefers to run late, how long adjusting takes, and what actually helps.