Pomodoro, the sand-timer way

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. He used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro is Italian for tomato) to work in short, focused bursts separated by breaks.

The classic routine

1. Pick one task.
2. Work for 25 minutes without switching to anything else.
3. Take a 5 minute break.
4. After four rounds, take a longer break.

The timer does the hard part: it gives you permission to ignore everything else until it rings.

Choose your length

Twenty-five minutes isn't magic. TaskBaddie offers three focus lengths:

• 25 min — great for starting something you are avoiding.
• 50 min — a solid block for writing, studying or coding.
• 75 min — deep work, once you are already in the flow.

Short and long breaks (5 and 15 minutes) come right after, and the timer returns to your chosen length when the break ends.

Make it stick

• Open Focus mode to hide everything except your task and the timer.
• Pick one of the music mixes in the Music tab. Steady, lyric-free music works best for most people.
• Keep a scrap of paper nearby. If a stray thought pops up, jot it down and go back to work.

Watch the sand fall, and let the hourglass do the nagging.