Hey, everyone, Megan here from meganminns.com,
and today I'm gonna share with you
how to use the Pomodoro Technique
to stop procrastinating and stay focused.
(upbeat music)
I've been using the Pomodoro Technique
for several years and almost every single work day
because it really helps me avoid distractions,
stay focused, and also accurately assess
how much I can get done in a single day.
It also really helps me get started on a task
when I just feel a ton of resistance and don't wanna do it.
It helps me stop procrastinating and get some work done.
So what is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a productivity strategy
where you work for 25 minutes straight undisturbed
and even take a five minute break afterwards.
Each 25 minute session is called a Pomodoro.
So one 25 minute session equals one Pomodoro.
And after you've done four Pomodoros in a row,
so you've done 25 minutes
with a five minute break four times,
it's recommended that you take a little bit longer
of a break, maybe 15 minutes or 30 minutes,
and give yourself a little bit of a rest.
This is based around the idea that if you work
for 25 minutes straight without any distractions,
then you will actually end up getting work done faster
and more efficiently
even though you're taking those five minute breaks.
But now I wanna show you
how to actually use this simple technique in your day
to stop getting distracted and stay focused
so you can get more done.
I find that the Pomodoro Technique is the most powerful
when you actually plan out your Pomodoros in advance.
Now, I love to do this the night before,
and I actually have a whole video
on how I plan my day the night before,
and I talk about Pomodoros in that video as well.
But it can be the same day.
It can be right before you sit down to do a work session.
Either way, if you just take a few minutes
to plan in advance,
you are going to get the most bang for your buck
out of doing the Pomodoro Technique.
So what I like to do is look at my day on a calendar,
see what meetings and appointments
and events are already scheduled and committed to,
and then see how many Pomodoro sessions
I can actually fit in in my work day.
So I will really do this on Google Calendar.
I'll drop in Pomodoro 1, Pomodoro 2, Pomodoro 3
and really start to map out
where my longer breaks are gonna be,
but also how many Pomodoros does
that really leave me with in the day?
You might think you have 16 Pomodoros to do in a day,
but the reality is you probably don't have that many.
So this is a great first step
because I get to see really tangibly
how much time I have in the day
to get work done without distractions.
Then the next thing I do is I actually look at my task list,
my to-do list for the day,
and I start breaking those into the Pomodoros.
So if I have three Pomodoros in the morning for a meeting
and I pick out my most important tasks
and guess how long they're gonna take,
I will assign them Pomodoros.
So some tasks might take longer than one Pomodoro,
so I will actually block out
maybe three Pomodoros back to back,
all to work on creating a video script or recording a video.
Now, it's okay if you don't know
how long something is actually gonna take you to do.
That's one of the main reasons I love the Pomodoro Technique
is because you start to learn.
By using this technique and guessing
how long something is going to take you,
you'll actually very quickly see
if it takes you longer or less time.
And it really allows you to learn over time
how long things take you to complete.
So for now, just guess based on your experience,
based on how quickly you think you can work that day.
You might have historically just said you were gonna work
on your blog post for the whole day,
but instead you might say, okay,
I'm gonna try to get the entire blog post done
in three Pomodoros,
and you'll map it out and you'll base your day around that.
And then when you sit down to do it,
you'll either work a last faster (laughs)
because you have a time constraint,
or you'll realize it really takes four Pomodoros
or longer or less,
and then you can adjust your plan next time.
Either way, you're starting to learn
how long things take you,
which is just ultimately gonna make you better
at planning and using the Pomodoro Technique going forward.
I also love using the Pomodoro Technique
when I have a really full to-do list
because you can very quickly see
where you've overcommitted and what you need to change.
You might look at the day you have planned
and see that you can just not get all of your to-dos done,
and it gives you a chance to reorganize things in advance.
So either you realize you need
to work a little bit longer that day,
maybe you need to reschedule a meeting,
or maybe you just need to reprioritize your to-do list
and reset your expectations and let people know
if things need to be shuffled around.
One of the simplest and easiest ways
to actually do this planning besides Google Calendar,
which is why I do on a day-to-day basis,
I also use and love the Productivity Planner.
The Productivity Planner is based
around the Pomodoro method.
So what you'll see, let me flip to a day.
I'll have screenshots or a link to this planner
beneath this video if you wanna see better closeup shots.
But basically, see if this'll focus,
it allows you to pick your top priority tasks for the day
and then guess how long it's gonna take you.
I think it's right here.
You'll put in how many Pomodoros you think it's gonna take,
and then you'll fill in the circles
as you complete your Pomodoros,
and then you'll write down how long it actually took you.
So when I first started using the Pomodoro Technique,
this was a huge asset, because like we were talking about,
that reflection piece is so important
and valuable in this process
that I was really easily able to see on paper (laughs)
where I was off on how long I thought something would take
and how long it actually took.
So I love using the Pomodoro Planner,
and I still use it, especially on busy days.
So there will be more information on this
below this video if you're curious,
but it's one of my favorite resources
if you're using the Pomodoro Technique.
So those are the basics of how I like
to use the Pomodoro Technique to get more done,
but to really (laughs) do this well,
I have a few tips I wanna share with you
to making your Pomodoros the most effective
and actually getting the most out of this strategy.
So the first essential piece
of this puzzle is cutting out distractions.
If you sit down to work for 25 minutes
and allow yourself to get distracted,
you haven't really done a full Pomodoro
and you're going to see that in your outcome
in your results from the day.
Nothing should get in your way
and distract you from your work,
so definitely make sure you're on airplane mode
or do not disturb on your phone,
and also close any tabs and windows and applications
that you do not need open.
Only have up and open on your computer or on your table,
wherever you're working, what you need for the task at hand.
Another essential piece of cutting out distractions
for me is wearing noise-canceling headphones.
I actually have mine right here.
They are essential to staying focused for me
when I'm doing a Pomodoro Technique
because I can so easily get distracted
by the noises around me.
Since I work from home,
that could be dogs, that could be anything.
So by wearing those noise-canceling headphones,
I really easily zone out and get focused on my work,
and it kind of gives you a more holistic approach
to avoiding distractions besides just muting your phones.
Another tip is to have a place to capture ideas.
I don't know if you've ever been in this situation,
but you're really in the zone working on something
and out of the blue you get a question or an idea
or something you wanna research,
and it can totally throw you off
and send you down a rabbit hole if you're not careful.
So I actually like to have a journal next to me,
a notepad, a sticky note, preferably not a digital note,
because I find that's easier to get distracted.
But whatever works for you.
Either way, have a designated place
that while you're focused,
you can jot down any of those questions or action steps
or to-do items that pop up while you're working,
and you can tend to them later
when you're not trying to get this focused work done.
So definitely have a place to capture those ideas.
I want you to be able to reference them later,
but I don't want you to go down the rabbit hole
while you're trying to do this focused work.
Another key part of the Pomodoro Technique
is actually taking those breaks.
I have so often been in the zone for 25 minutes,
come up to a break, and skip it, which to each his own,
but in my experience that means
that the next 25 minutes are usually subpar work.
I maybe have five more minutes in me where I'm in the zone
and something happens and I fall prey to getting distracted
or I realize I need to go to the bathroom or get a drink.
And because I didn't take that five minute break
when I planned on it, I end up kind of trying
to do another 25 minute session
and usually peter out within a few minutes.
So in my experience at least, really taking those breaks.
Now, if you decide you wanna work in different increments,
totally make it your own.
But whenever you decide you are taking a break,
really stop what you're doing, move around.
Don't just sit at your desk and do other tasks.
Really take that full break
so that you can have a really productive
next 25 minute session.
This also goes for those longer breaks.
I really believe that
to be a happy, healthy, productive worker,
you need to take some longer breaks in your work day.
So even if you've got a jammed to-do list,
make sure you throw in at least a 30 minute break for lunch,
maybe a few 30 minute breaks throughout the day
to get some fresh air, to move around, to change locations,
because that is how you're going to stay healthy
and happy while you're working.
Another tip for you is to actually use a timer.
So I have totally been guilty of sitting down
to do a Pomodoro and making a note of what time it was
and then getting in the zone and working.
And not only do I have no idea how far I am in the Pomodoro,
I also forget what time I started,
and the whole thing loses its entire structure
and I have no idea how long I really worked on something.
And especially if you're new
to using the Pomodoro Technique,
you wanna leverage a timer to make it easier for you.
So you can definitely use the timer
on your phone if you want.
You can use an app, there's plenty.
I'll link to a few below this video that you can use,
either on your phone or on your desktop
to help log and track some of those Pomodoros.
Or you can use a physical timer,
which I don't have it with me,
but I used to use a physical kitchen timer all the time.
It very recently died, (laughs) so I haven't been using it.
I miss it.
But I found that using a physical timer,
it was really helpful and tangible
and made it where I didn't get distracted
checking on the time,
but I could kinda see where I was at at a glance.
After you've been using the Pomodoro Technique for awhile,
I want to encourage you to customize it.
So I mentioned this a minute ago,
and I actually still use and love the 25 minute
and five minute break increments,
but I have talked to several people
who really like longer sessions.
They can do 45 minutes with a 15 minute break,
or maybe they like 30 minutes with a 10 minute break
or still a five minute break.
I wanna encourage you to make it your own.
So if you've been trying the 25 minutes for awhile
and you're realizing that you are always in the zone
at 25 minutes and you feel like you're cutting yourself off,
then experiment with a different length Pomodoro.
I think it's more about the structure in place
than the actual time limits themselves
as long as you're still giving yourself a break.
So whatever your Pomodoro is,
make sure you have a break of some kind after each Pomodoro
and potentially a longer break
after a series of Pomodoros as well.
I wouldn't encourage doing this right out the gate.
I would love for you to try the 25 minutes at first.
But I want you to work in a way that works for you,
so I do believe the Pomodoro Technique structure can work,
even if you adjust the exact minute length of each Pomodoro.
So that is how you can use the Pomodoro Technique
to stay focused, stop procrastinating, and get more done.
I have mentioned a few different apps and resources
and some that I haven't specifically named in here
that I will link below this video.
So if you wanna know exactly what headphones I use
or get a link, I'm looking for them,
for my blue light blockers, which I think are essential
if you're doing a lot of computer work,
or any other of my favorite resources
for doing an effective Pomodoro,
just check the links below this video
and you will see them all there.
So now you understand how to use the Pomodoro Technique,
but if you want to get more done,
you really do need to have a plan for your day
like I mentioned at the beginning.
So that's why I wanna offer you guys
my free Daily Planner Printable.
You can enter your information in the link below this video
and get that straight to your inbox right now
and start using it to plan your day more effectively
and integrate it with your Pomodoros.
But now I wanna hear from you.
Have you ever use the Pomodoro Technique
or maybe another similar productivity strategy
to get more work done?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Share your experience or your best tips,
and I can't wait to chat with you down there.
And if you thought this video was helpful,
please be sure to hit the like button,
subscribe, and share it with your friends
so I know to make more videos like this.
I'll see you in the next one.
Stop procrastinating.
Oh my God.
Oh no, the light's shifting.
Could you tell?
Why do I keep thinking that's gonna taste better?
I'm taking... (dog barking)
Cool, I love having a dog.
Ugh.
Ugh, this tastes so gross.
Do I look smart?
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