Before starting to write this article, I spent days thinking about the topic, unable to put words down on the page. I had all these interesting ideas and hooks that were a perfect excuse to procrastinate. After a couple of days of convenient meandering, I realized that my screen was still blank.
So, I did what I’ve done every time I’ve had trouble writing something: I set an intention, broke the article down into neat little sections, picked one I was confident I could tackle, and started a Pomodoro session. For the next 25 minutes, I simply wrote without editing or cutting anything; all that could come later. After the 25 minutes were up, I took a well-deserved, five-minute break.
The fact that you’re reading this is proof that it worked. Sound too good to be true? Well, it doesn’t actually do the work for you, but the Pomodoro Technique has certainly proven invaluable to me time and again.
Want to give it a try? Here’s how you can use the productivity method for yourself.
What Is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a classic time management technique invented by Francesco Cirillo, a university student struggling to focus on his assignments in the 1980s. It helps distracted creatives, students, and workers focus better on the task at hand by breaking it down into manageable chunks of 25 minutes each.
Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (in Italian, “tomato” is “pomodoro”) to help him focus on tasks. He started slowly, setting timers for two minutes, then, as he began to build his mental muscle, he increased the time to 10 minutes. He went on to experiment with a lot of different time periods: 10-minute sessions were too short, while hour-long periods proved too long to actually be productive. He eventually settles on the now-popular 25-minute session length.
Session app schedule (Credit: Session)
But how should you use those 25 minutes? First, you need an intention—a task to complete. The technique works best if you have a concrete idea of what you need to do or can break it down into subtasks that are achievable during a session.
Then, you simply start your timer. It can be as simple as an egg timer, a timer on your phone, or a dedicated Pomodoro productivity app (my preferred option). Focus on the task you identified for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. You can use this break to reflect on the work you did or what’s ahead of you. Alternatively, I like to take this as an opportunity to just get away from the computer for a while to stretch my legs and back.
Once you repeat that cycle four times (which amounts to approximately two hours of focused work), you can take a longer, 30-minute break. Then, you repeat the whole process for as long as you want your workday to continue.
How 25 Minutes Can Change Your Attention Span
The Pomodoro Technique can be beneficial in all kinds of situations. For writers and creative individuals, especially, it can help you overcome the horrors of a blank page. It makes the task before you seem more manageable. “It’s only 25 minutes—I can do that,” you might tell yourself.
In a world filled with app notifications, AI tools, social media updates, and all other types of digital noise, our collective attention spans are declining. Sure, limiting screen time, meditating, or spending time outdoors can help—but eventually, you need a practical tool to help you focus when it’s time to sit down and actually work. That’s where the Pomodoro Technique shines. Close your tabs (and, as my meditation teacher says, the tabs in your mind), set your intention, start the timer, and go.
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Once you start using the Pomodoro Technique habitually, you’ll realize that it makes it easier for you to hit a flow state. Achieving flow state, in which you can purely focus on the text in front of you, can happen after just a couple of Pomodoro sessions, in my experience. I view the initial Pomodoro session for a given task as a preparatory step. But, as I keep resetting the timer, the work starts to flow. It’s somewhat like kayaking on a still river. Once you’re in the flow, it’s much easier to keep going.
But what if you’re more concerned about just getting things done? The Pomodoro Technique can help you learn difficult subjects and complete complex tasks, too. A recent scientific review of 32 studies involving 5,270 participants compared students who used the Pomodoro method of timed intervals (25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of break) to those who used self-paced study. It found that the students who used the Pomodoro method “led to approximately 20% lower fatigue, a 0.5-point improvement in distractibility, and a 0.4-point increase in motivation compared to self-paced break schedules.”
Finding the Right Rhythm for Your Work
The classic Pomodoro Technique structure, consisting of 25 minutes on and five minutes off, is a good place to start, but it may not work for you all the time. After all, one of the biggest criticisms of the Pomodoro Technique is that it can actually feel too limiting. In other words, the 25-minute timer might sometimes induce anxiety, rather than alleviate it. And taking a break after just 25 minutes might even interrupt your flow state.
The Best Pomodoro Timer Apps We’ve Tested
As such, you should feel free to simply extend your session or commit to longer ones from the start. You might, for example, work for 40 minutes at a time, with a 10-minute break in between. I use this version of the Pomodoro Technique quite often, including when I wrote this article.
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You don’t need a whimsically shaped timer to get started with the Pomodoro Technique, but it may still be helpful if you think it will aid your focus. In any case, any timer, either digital or physical, will suffice. Set it for 25 minutes (or the interval of your choice), keep it aside, and get started with your work. Once the time goes off, set another for your break. And then, start the process over again.
The concept is simple, yes, but you might find it tedious to manage manually. That’s why it’s better to use a dedicated Pomodoro app or browser extension. Focus Friend, for example, (available for Android and iOS) lets you set a focus timer and then simply set your phone aside. While you’re working, your Focus Friend, a cute little bean character, knits socks that you can then exchange to decorate your room. You can ignore the room decoration mini game if you want, however, and just focus on the capable Pomodoro timer driving the experience. It’s possible to customize the session intervals, and paid users can even block distracting apps and websites. An Apple-centric alternative is FocusPomo, which features a minimalist design and is equally customizable.
Otto web browser extension (Credit: Otto)
If you mostly work in a browser, check out the Otto extension. Its free plan lets you create unlimited Pomodoro sessions, while a paid version unlocks features such as app blocking, task timers, and more. The extension is colorful and simple to use.
Desktop apps are available, too. On macOS, Flow and Session are two good candidates. Flow is customizable and easy to use, while Session is more robust. I use the latter because I like its interface and how it asks me to set an intention for a given work period. Session always reminds me to take three deep breaths before the timer starts (which I always appreciate), and I can add notes to a session after the time expires. App blocking features, customizable breaks, and productivity breakdowns round out the experience. The only downside is that it costs $40 per year. Of course, you should try all of the aforementioned apps to find the one that works best for you.
How Pomodoro Fits Into the Bigger Productivity Picture
Although the Pomodoro Technique can absolutely help you focus on a task and get work done, it’s not a replacement for proper app-blocking, task management, or time-tracking apps. In fact, it works best in combination with those traditional productivity tools.
The Best Task Management Apps We’ve Tested
A task management system of any kind is a good place to start. Even writing down your tasks for the day on a piece of paper can help. Every Pomodoro session should start with an intention, and having an established system that tracks such tasks is invaluable. Task management apps also help you organize your thoughts and broadly coordinate work with others. Some task management apps, such as Todoist and TickTick, even offer dedicated Pomodoro modes.
Otherwise, Toggl is a great way to track how long you spend on a task, and Freedom blocks distracting apps and websites to help you stay focused rather than doomscrolling.
About Our Expert
Khamosh Pathak
Contributor
Experience
I’m a content specialist with more than a decade of experience creating technology content. My passion is crafting easy-to-read guides, helpful content, blog posts, and explainers that make sense to everyone, not just techies. I have written for popular technology websites including MakeUseOf, How-To Geek, and Lifehacker. I also write guides for technical automation that are easy for anyone to understand.
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