In the late 1980s, an Italian university student Francesco Cirillo was struggling to complete his assignments and concentrate on his studies. After trying several times and failing to concentrate, he challenged himself to concentrate for ten minutes. He took a timer shaped like a tomato and started his challenge. And thus born the very famous time management technique- Pomodoro Technique ( Pomodoro is Italian for tomato). The simplicity and effectiveness of this technique have made it popular. 

What is the Pomodoro technique?

One Pomodoro session is divided into four sub-sessions of 25 minutes duration with a five-minute break between each sub-session and followed by a long break on completion of all the four sub-sessions. This time management measure encourages you to alternate sessions with short and frequent breaks to enhance your concentration and increase productivity. 

What are the different steps to be followed in the Pomodoro technique?

1. Pick a task 
   Pick a task that you want to complete. Break down the task into small steps. This is a crucial step because this decides the speed with which you accomplish your goal. 
    
2. Set a timer of 25 minutes
   Take a timer and adjust it to 25 minutes. And start working on the task until the timer goes off. You can either set a timer on your mobile phone or use apps with the Pomodoro timer. Focus Plant (click here to install) is my favourite Pomodoro timer. You can also try Engross which is also good.  
    
3. Take 5 minutes break after each session
   After finishing one session, take a five minutes break. A 5 minute meditation will be a good break or look out the window for a few minutes. Whatever activity you choose, let your mind and body relax for this five minutes. 
    
4. Long break after the completion of four sessions 
   After the four session take a long break of 15-30 minutes. You can go out for a walk or read a book. Try to minimize the use of phone during this long break. You can also analyse your progress in the whole session during this time. 

The whole concept of Pomodoro technique is to know where we spend our time and to manage it effectively. Another main advantage of this technique is that it compels us to break down our work into small manageable units to be completed within a Pomodoro session. This not only increase our productivity but also helps to complete the task with ease in a short span of time. So, the next time when you find yourself less productive, lazy or procrastinating grab a timer and try this technique.