Getting Stuff Done

Everyone has trouble getting important tasks done from time to time. We know it by many names: writer’s block, procrastination, distractions, maybe even attention deficit disorder. Never fear! There are many techniques to apply when you have trouble accomplishing what you know you should. In this article, I’d like to examine one technique that works well for me and my coaching clients. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique.

This time management approach acknowledges the oscillating principal of human energy. Human energy cannot be expended continuously without periods of rest. Both knowledge workers and physical workers, like athletes and musicians, are capable of incredible feats of mental and physical exertion. However, athletes understand one aspect of energy management better than business people: Periods of intense energy exertion must be followed by periods of rest. Athletes know they can’t stress their muscles (think pumping iron) for an indefinite period. They know muscles are strengthened by intervals of extreme stress followed by intervals of rest and regeneration. The same can be said about intellectual work. In order to achieve peak productivity, periods of rest and relaxation must follow periods of intense mental activity. I depict the healthy oscillation of energy expenditure and rest like this:

This stress wave shows that periods of intense energetic outlays are followed by equal periods of reduced exertion, or rest.

The Pomodoro Technique makes use of the oscillating principle of human energy. The Pomodoro Technique is named after a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro is Italian for tomato), used by the founder of the technique, Francesco Cirillo,  to measure periods of intense activity followed by short breaks. It is a great way to:

• Get past writer’s block, get unstuck and channel your attention
  
  
• Psych yourself to accomplish a lot
  
  
• Commit to expending a lot of energy in one burst knowing you’ll get the reward of a rest break at the end
  
  

You can download Cirillo’s e-book with everything Pomodoro here.  

In a Pomodoro (a 25-minute burst of work), you commit to focus on the task at hand without interruptions or distractions. Allowing interruptions or anything that distracts your focus from the task at hand can increase the time to complete by 25%, according to Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy in a Harvard Business Review classic entitled Manage your Energy, not your Time. When you divert your attention away from your original task to something else, it’s called “switching time” and that’s time you lose when you try to multi-task.  In fact, Professor Gloria Mark of University of California at Irvine found in her research that when you are interrupted, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back to the original task.

In addition to curing bad bouts of procrastination, the Pomodoro technique is helpful for people who have a tendency to over-polish their projects or those who push for perfection when good is enough. For these people (you know who you are), you can either self-assign or ask your manager to assign a limited number of Pomodoros to spend on a project. As a manager, you might allow your favorite perfectionist four Pomodoros to complete the PowerPoint deck for the Quarterly Business Review. After that, ask the perfectionist to present the project to you for further direction or approval. At that point, you can coach your employee on what quality of work will suffice and assuage their fear of not being good enough – or wrest the project out of their hands so they can’t work anymore on it!

In a nutshell, this is the Pomodoro Technique:

1. Prepare for your Pomodoro. Select one and only one project to work on. Turn off all distracting gizmos, such as email, texts, phones and social media such as Face Book.  Close your door. Tell everyone that you can’t be disturbed for two hours and stick to your guns. Hire a guard dog to watch your door – whatever it takes to carve out two hours of uninterrupted time. You are about to accomplish a lot.
   
   
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes. I use my cell phone’s timer. Work feverishly on your project – this is a sprint! Your goal is to do as much as you can in a short period of time. Do not allow anyone or anything to interrupt you. Tell yourself that you only have to work for 25 minutes, so it’s no big deal. Just get started.
   
   
3. When the timer goes off, no matter what you are doing, note where you are in the project and then set the timer for 5 minutes. Get up and take a rest break – even if you are in “the flow” of work. Your work will be enhanced by the short break. Take a short walk, go to the bathroom, pour a cup of coffee, stretch, breathe deeply, and clear your head.  
   
   
4. Set the timer again for 25 minutes. Work intensely for another 25 minutes.
   
   
5. When the timer goes off, no matter what you are doing, note where you are in the project and then get up and take another 5 minute rest break. Take a short walk, go to the bathroom, pour a cup of coffee or tea, stretch, and breathe deeply.
   
   
6. Set the timer again for a last 25 minute period and again focus on your task.
   
   
7. When the timer goes off for the third time, take stock of your situation. Note and congratulate yourself for all you’ve accomplished. I usually marvel at all that I got done.  Now take a real break and do something else. Open your door, refill the coffee mug, take a short walk, look at your emails, respond to texts, attend a meeting, and make phone calls. If needed, you can do another Pomodoro set later in the day.

One important guideline is to do only 3-4 Pomodoros (for a maximum of 120 minutes) in a row. This is because the mind needs a rest after that amount of time. Tony Schwartz and Dr. Christine Porath report in the New York Times that “employees who take a break every 90 minutes report a 30 percent higher level of focus." You decide if you are going to do 90 or 120 minutes (3 or 4 Pomodoros), but under no circumstances should you work more than 4 of them before taking an extensive break.  

The benefits I have discovered about the Pomodoro Technique are:

• I move off being stuck. In fact, I get energized about the project that I was dreading, procrastinating or couldn’t get started on.
  
  
• I hear myself saying, “Wow, that was easy,” as I realize that I finished a project more quickly than anticipated.
  
  
• I get more done because I don’t allow distractions or interruptions.
  
  
• Because I know that I’ll have a reward at the end, I’m willing to work hard for a limited amount of time.
  
  
• I feel a sense of urgency because I know I’m timing myself.
  
  

Try the Pomodoro Technique and post a comment on this post to let us know how it went!

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​Kristin Robertson, CEO of Brio Leadership, is dedicated to increasing the number of employees who are excited to go to work on Monday mornings.  Services include executive coaching, leadership development classes and company culture consulting.  Don’t forget to get a copy of Kristin Robertson’s new book, Your Company Culture Ecosystem, available on Amazon.