The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most popular time management/productivity techniques of all time. Does it live up to the hype? Find out in my review of Francesco Cirillo's classic book The Pomodoro Technique.
My Review of The Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you use one of these links to order the book, I'll make a small commission. Learn More.
1. What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management/productivity technique created by tech startup legend Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. If you already know how the Pomodoro Technique works, feel free to skip the text in the yellow box.
In case you're not familiar with the Pomodoro Technique, below is my explanation of the basics from my post Fierce Focus: How to Improve Concentration...An Epic Guide for the Easily Distracted.
Here's a basic overview of the Pomodoro Technique:
- Set a timer for a specific period of time (25 minutes works to start)
- Focus all of your attention on a task until the timer goes off. Do nothing but work during this time!
- Stop the timer and put a checkmark on a sheet of paper. You’ve just completed what’s called one pomodoro. Reward yourself with a short 3 - 5 minute break!
- Set the timer back to 25 minutes and start again. After you complete four pomodoros, reward yourself with a 15 - 30 minute break, then discard your check marks and start over completely with zero checkmarks.
In summary, you’ll work in 25 minute increments, and will then take a 3-5 minute break. After you complete four of these 25 minute sessions, you’ll take a longer 15 - 30 minute break.
Please note that there's a lot more to the Pomodoro Technique than just working in 25 minute intervals and taking breaks.
In the book, Cirillo talks extensively about making to-do lists, planning, measuring your progress, and more. I'm not going to discuss many specifics in this review, because they're all in the book. The key point here is simply that there's a bigger picture to the technique than just the work intervals.
2. Does the Pomodoro Technique Work?
In short—yes. How do we know?
Cirillo has student testimonials posted on his blog. The fact alone that it's survived and thrived since the 80s says a lot about it's effectiveness to me. I can also testify from my own firsthand experience that works.
This being said, I don't personally use the Pomodoro Technique much anymore. For all of it's positives, there are several aspects I don't care for.
If you read a lot of "life hacks" style blogs and forums, you're probably used to seeing people talking about the Pomodoro Technique all the time. It's way easier to find praise for it than criticisms. I have a few criticisms I'm going to bring up here. When I did some research before writing this post, I found some others who share similar opinions.
Before we move on though, I just want to state again that the Pomodoro Technique definitely does work. I've recommended it before to readers in a few of my posts on this blog. I'll probably recommend it again in the future. I have tremendous respect for Cirillo and for the method. But it's only fair that I tell you why I don't use it much myself anymore.
3. Why I No Longer Use the Pomodoro Technique...And Why it Won't Work for Everyone
First, if you think about it, 25 minutes really isn't that long. If you're stuck in some gen ed you absolutely despite studying for, 25 minutes will feel like an eternity. For all other cases, 25 minutes isn't enough to get into the flow state.
In the book, Cirillo recommends using the first 5 minutes of each Pomodoro to review what you've already studied, and the last 5 minutes to review what you've accomplished. While this sounds good on the surface, in reality, it only leaves you about 15 minutes for actual work.
You might be thinking, so what? If you end up getting immersed in the project, just skip the break and stay at it. Circillo speaks out against this multiple times.
His reasoning is that the break is necessary because it prevents you from burning out as fast, and lets your mind process the information unconsciously.
I don't disagree with him on these two points, but if you're in the zone, isn't it more beneficial to just press ahead while you're feeling especially productive? It is at least from my experience.
The last gripe I have is that Circillo says that if a pomodoro is ever interrupted, you have to void the whole session—even if the timer is just about to go off.
I think Circillo's point is that when you set aside time to study, you need to use the time to study—without exception. I totally get where he's coming from, but I still think it's too rigid.
Let's say you have a really productive 24 minutes before you're interrupted. Does all the work you got done just magically disappear? No, of course not. So why void the whole session?
4. Topographical's Critique of the Pomodoro Technique
As I mentioned, I found a few others out there with similar thoughts to mine. Below is a critique posted to Reddit by the user topographical about a year ago.
Note that I don't know this user, but I do agree with them on almost everything they said.
It's also a coincidence that topographical referenced Deep Work by Cal Newport. I literally just published my own review of Deep Work by Cal Newport last night.
I'm a fan of longer work intervals with longer breaks. I'm talking 45 minute sessions with 10 minute breaks, and 90 minutes with 20 - 30 minute breaks.
To me, 5 minutes is just too short. It's not much of a break. You really have to discipline yourself to not get sidetracked.
Final Thoughts on the Pomodoro Technique
My rating for The Pomodoro Technique is 4 out of 5 stars. Circillo's system is entirely original, and extremely innovative for its time. It suffers from some issues that I mentioned above, but tons of students do swear by it.
The writing is solid, his explanations are thorough, and he gives plenty of examples to illustrate his points. I would've liked some more depth about the psychology of why the technique works though.
If nothing else, I'd get a copy for the advice on planning and using metrics to improve your productivity alone. This one's a classic, and it's a short read. There's plenty to learn here, and you can't go wrong giving it a shot!
