Welcome to Design Your Life x5!

In this ongoing series, in each essay, we explore one different idea that helps you to design your life (e. g. productivity, goal setting, time management, mindfulness, tools, frameworks, etc.) in 5 main points.

Designing your life means holistically reflecting on and understanding your past, organizing and focussing on your present and shaping your future.

🍅 Pomodoro Technique

🗒️ #1 What is it?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique and was invented by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. For his experiments, he used kitchen clocks called Pomodoro. That's where the name comes from.

It allows you to focus on a specific task for a certain time. After each interval, you make a small break and then keep repeating this with other tasks.

✔️ #2 How to use it?

• Select and define a task you want to complete.

• Set a timer for 25 minutes.

• Work on the task until the timer is finished.

• Make a short break (5 minutes).

• Keep doing this 4 times and then do a longer break (15 - 30 minutes).

🤔 #3 Why it helps to design your life?

It helps you in organizing and focussing on your present. With this technique, you are forced to break down and organize your tasks and then deeply focus on completing them by using the timer.

👍 #4 Pros & Cons

• ➕ You are working for a defined time really focused and avoid inefficient multitasking.

• ➕ Simple and fun to use (see how many Pomodoros you finish each day).

• ➕ You keep doing breaks, which is really important!

• ➖ Sometimes it can be difficult to stay within the interval time.

• ➖ Not appropriate for more creative flowing tasks.

💡 #5 Tips

• Break down your tasks and define when a task is completed.

• Find your perfect interval time - you can adjust it e. g. to 55 minutes.

• Block all distractions when the timer is running.

• You can work on the same task for multiple Pomodoro intervals.

• Use the breaks well, e. g. by stretching, walking, opening the window or drinking a glass of water.