A Complete Guide to the Pomodoro Study Method

What exactly is the Pomodoro study technique?

Francesco Cirillo, a university student at the time, invented the Pomodoro study method in 1987 as a time management and productivity tool. A Pomodoro session entails setting a timer for 25 minutes and using that time for focused work until the timer chimes.
The approach was created with the intention of being used for research. After all, when Francesco Cirillo first tried out the Pomodoro study approach in Italy in September 1987, he was studying for a university exam. He was explicitly employing the technique to complete a chapter of a sociology book.
Cirillo’s Pomodoro technique, on the other hand, is now widely employed in all sectors of life. Apart from students, the Pomodoro method is used by all knowledge workers, including CEOs, teachers, writers, and researchers, to fight distractions and achieve their objectives. In the agile development industry, the method has also been widely adopted.
The Pomodoro method appears to have caught on with just about everyone. That includes me; as a student, writer, blogger, and so on, I practise the Pomodoro method on a daily basis. When I need to concentrate, I use the Pomodoro method.

Are there any Pomodoro timers available?

You’ll need a Pomodoro timer to get started with the Pomodoro study approach. This timer is required to keep track of your 25-minute Pomodoro sessions, and there are many free and paid ones to choose from:

• Marinara: Chrome Extension for Pomodoro. Marinara: Pomodoro Assistant is a free Google Chrome Extension that does exactly what it says on the tin. You may pin the extension to your taskbar to keep track of how much time is left on your Pomodoro timer (for better or worse). You may also customise the concentrate times, sounds, and break periods with this plugin. It’s basic in terms of functionality, but that’s all you need.
• TomatoTimer. The Tomato Timer is another free Pomodoro timer that gets the job done. The only drawback is that it requires you to keep it open in a tab to work, and it will not work without an Internet connection. I prefer the Marinara extension over the other free options.

In the end, though, your success will not be determined by your timer. Choose the timer that is most convenient for you to include into your study regimen and stay with it. What matters more than the timer is the environment in which you study — your study space. Creating a successful study space, on the other hand, is a very different beast that is beyond the scope of this article.

What is it about the Pomodoro approach that makes it so helpful for studying?

Despite the Pomodoro study method’s enormous popularity, surprisingly little research has been undertaken on its efficiency. And the research that have been conducted on it have been on a tiny basis. As a result, the benefits of the Pomodoro study approach are speculative.
While the Pomodoro study method has many widely held benefits, the two that tend to have the most validity are as follows:

• Taking short mental breaks allows you to stay focused and prevent losing control of your thoughts.
• Keeping track of your everyday duties increases self-awareness and productivity.

Both of these advantages are utilized by the Pomodoro study method. I can also speak to the efficiency of the Pomodoro study method based on personal anecdotal evidence. Using the strategy has undoubtedly resulted in greater production. And I know a lot of knowledge workers, students, and professors that would agree with me.
However, I believe that the usefulness of the Pomodoro study method merits more scientific investigation.

How do I Apply the Pomodoro Method of Studying?

I’ll discuss the method taught by Francesco Cirillo himself in his book in this step-by-step guide. However, because his book focuses primarily on work productivity, this is modified slightly for studying.

Here’s how to apply the Pomodoro approach to your studies:

1. Use the To-Do Today Sheet to organize your daily tasks.

Plan out all of the activities you want to complete, prioritise them, and write them down in your “To-do Today Sheet” at the start of your study session. This page will be the focal focus of your study session, displaying how much time you spend on each exercise and what comes next.

To plan your daily duties and To-Do list, you must first establish:

• What kinds of tasks are required to complete the study session?
• What is the best order to execute these tasks?
• How many Pomodoro 25-minute sessions does each activity require?

Your work planning will be wildly inaccurate at first. After all, most students aren’t used to making a list of all their daily duties, organising them, and calculating how much time they’ll take. It is a skill that must be honed, but your ability to estimate will grow over time.

Francesco Cirillo advocates breaking down projects that require more than five to seven 25-minute Pomodoro sessions as a general guideline.

2. Set the timer for 25 minutes on the Pomodoro method.

Make sure you are free of any distractions before beginning your first Pomodoro session. Interruptions are the enemy of a productive Pomodoro session, so avoid them as much as possible. All popups and notifications should be disabled, and your phone should be in silent mode and hidden.

To begin your first Pomodoro session, select your task, set your timer for 25 minutes, and press the start button. This is the point at which the studying begins.

3. Begin working on your first task.

It’s now time to concentrate on the task at hand. Ideally, you’ll know exactly what you need to do and be able to put your plan into action quickly. This is why it is critical to develop simple and actionable daily tasks. At this point, you should not be second-guessing your task selection; instead, you should be completely focused on finishing the assignment.

It may appear that focusing for 25 minutes is insignificant, yet it can be quite challenging. A Pomodoro session necessitates complete focus, and focusing all of your energy on a single job might be challenging. It’s especially difficult if you’re not used to it.

You’ll probably have moments during your first Pomodoro sessions when you look at your timer and think to yourself, “19 more minutes?” No way!” exclaims the speaker. Take a deep breath first if you find yourself drifting away from the task and needing a break. Then gather your thoughts and get back to work. The satisfaction of completing a Pomodoro will be well worth your time and work.

4. When the timer goes off, finish the task.

When the timer goes off, it’s time to call it a day. To mark the conclusion of a session, place a cross in the relevant line on the To-do Today Sheet, and you’re done.
If you’re in a good flow, you might be tempted to keep studying after the timer goes off. The main objective of the Pomodoro study approach, on the other hand, is to take tiny but regular pauses.

You’ll probably find it challenging to adjust to these 25-minute productivity bursts at first. However, if you continue to utilise the strategy, your brain will gradually become accustomed to this habit.

When you reach that stage, your brain will be so accustomed to studying in 25-minute increments that even if you don’t set a timer, you’ll know when you’ve completed a 25-minute session. You’ll have an internal Pomodoro timer by that point.

5. Any disruptions should be noted on the To-Do Today Sheet.

If you’re interrupted during your session, write down what happened and get back to work as quickly as possible. Different distractions will inevitably arise while you are attempting to study, but you must not allow these disruptions to disrupt your 25-minute Pomodoros.

Interruptions, as well as any additional information such as deadlines, are recorded in the To-Do Today Sheet under the tasks.

You will get interrupted sooner or later, and it is critical to swiftly jot down any disruptions and return to your activity. Once you’ve completed your Pomodoro session, you may begin assessing the interruption. If it’s a pressing matter, you can devote your next Pomodoro session to it.

Pomodoros are indivisible, so keep that in mind. You can’t call a Pomodoro “done” if you finish it in 22 minutes. A Pomodoro’s length never changes, and if you quit halfway through, the session is null and invalid. If this happens, try to remain positive and focus on making the next Pomodoro better than the last.

Cutting down on distractions and not letting those disruptions break your sessions is the key to mastering the Pomodoro study method.

6. Take a 5-minute break from your work.

Try not to conduct any mentally intensive work during this time off. Avoid thinking about the subject you’re studying and attempt to take your attention away from it as much as possible.

If you’re in a nice flow, switching your thoughts off of what you’re studying may seem counterintuitive. It is, nonetheless, critical to schedule some downtime. You won’t feel ready for the new Pomodoro if you don’t practise this, and you’ll burn out after only a few Pomodoros.

Consider the following instead of focusing about your study topic during your break:

• Standing up and taking a walk around the room.
• get a new glass of water.
• Exercising my breathing.
• Getting your muscles to stretch
• Do quick meditation.
• Disconnecting from the lecture topic for this short period of time will allow your mind to relax before starting the Pomodoro timer again.

Return to your study space after the 5 minutes are up and continue your study session with the following 25-minute Pomodoro. This cycle will be repeated until you have completed four Pomodoro sessions in a row.

7. After four Pomodoro sessions, take a 15- to 30-minute break.

You’ll take an extended break if you’ve finished four 25-minute Pomodoro sessions and four 5-minute breaks (for a total of two hours). Francesco Cirillo recommends a break length of 15 to 30 minutes in his book.

Consider taking advantage of the longer break to:

• Prepare a light snack for yourself.
• If the weather permits, take a walk outside.
• Organize your workstation for studying.
• Breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation are all good options.
• For this break, I prefer not to keep track of the minutes. If it’s time to eat, I’ll make something to eat, but if the weather permits, I’ll typically take a walk outside during this time. Meditation can be beneficial, although I usually just do it once or twice a day.

However, during this extended pause, attempt to avoid thinking about your study topic once more. To work correctly, your mind need rest, and here is your chance to do it a favour by allowing it to rest for a bit.

It’s time to return to step #2 and start another Pomodoro session after this long gap. You’ll keep doing this until you’ve completed your study session.

In a nutshell, here is how the Pomodoro study method works. I’ll admit that I glossed over certain things, such as Inventory Sheets and the Activity Inventory, but I’ll go over these in more depth in future blogs. For now, I hope you found this article useful, and I wish you luck with your Pomodoro sessions!