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22 April 2010
Posted in
Project Management
This week I've began to apply a technique called Pomodoro (http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/) to manage myself. Here i will share my opinion about why it is so effective. The pomodoro book is free and short, less than 40 pages, with an out-of-the-box solution to manage your life that works indead. And it can be freely downloaded from the official site.
A pomodoro means 25 of planed and focused work + 5 minutes of rest, and for every 4 pomodoros you can have a lager break (15-30 minutes). 25 minutes might seam to short, and I've thought at the begin that the 5min break would make you lose the focus of the activity. But the truth is that when you start a pomodoro, you focus completely on the task of that pomodoro, and the breaks are convenient because they allow you to do other thinks like: checking your email, having a glass of watter, eating, talking, or whatever you need to do that is NOT related to your goals. This breaks makes you relax and when is over you can start the next pomodoro and focus only on the actual task.
Rules
- A Pomodoro Consists of 25 minutes Plus a Five-Minute Break.
- fter Every Four Pomodoros Comes a 15-30 Minute Break.
- The Pomodoro Is Indivisible. There are no half or quarter Pomodoros.
- If a Pomodoro Begins, It Has to Ring:
- If a Pomodoro is interrupted definitively – i.e. the interruption isn’t handle – it’s considered void, never begun, and it can’t be recorded with an X.
- If an activity is completed once a Pomodoro has already begun, continue reviewing the same activity until the Pomodoro rings.
- Protect the Pomodoro. Inform effectively, negotiate quickly to reschedule the interruption, call back the person who interrupted you as agreed.
- If It Lasts More Than 5-7 Pomodoros, Break It Down. Complex activities should be divided into several activities.
- If It Lasts Less Than One Pomodoro, Add It Up. Simple tasks can be combined.
- Results Are Achieved Pomodoro after Pomodoro.
- The Next Pomodoro Will Go Better.