How To Hack The Pomodoro Technique For Added Efficiency

Every few months, I try some version of the Pomodoro Technique, the famous productivity system where you take a 5-minute break every half hour, and a half-hour break every two and a half hours. I follow it closely, then I follow it loosely, then I give up. If this has happened to you, you might need to follow this simpler version.

The problem, according to blogger Alexey Guzey, is in managing all your work and break periods. A little of your brain is always figuring out how to time your pomodoros so you can take breaks at certain times, or waiting to start a pomodoro when you have a bigger block of time. If you get distracted for a couple minutes, you debate whether to reset the work session or not, or work through the next break, etc. etc. etc.

The solution: Have one daily calendar with one fixed pomodoro schedule. No matter when you get started, the first five minutes of every hour and half-hour are breaks. And every three hours, you take a half-hour break.

Say you start work at 9: The first five minutes are actually a break, then you work til 9:30. Break, then work til 10. Break, then work til 10:30, and so on. You take half-hour breaks at 11, 2, and 5. See a diagram on Alexey’s site.

Once you’ve done this for a couple of days, you get used to the schedule. No matter what time you start working, you know where in the pomodoro cycle you are. If typical Pomodoro is a Netflix menu with too many choices, scheduled Pomodoro is like a TV channel: you can tune in or out, but the same lineup is playing no matter what.

If you get distracted during a work session, don’t change your schedule and don’t reset your pomodoros. Get back to work until the next break.

If you keep getting distracted, you can change location or do other things to refocus, but don’t change the schedule. It’s kind of like meditation: The trick isn’t to never get distracted. The trick is to notice the distraction, and refocus without getting frustrated.

You can still use a Pomodoro timer app, or set alarms for the top of every hour and half-hour. The schedule doesn’t change, so the alarms don’t have to either.

No one productivity system is for everyone. But if you thrive on habit and routine, this schedule will work better for you than typical Pomodoro. The rigidity of the schedule will free you from planning and meta-management. And hopefully you’ll stick with it longer.