Coorlim’s Guide to NaNoWriMo 6: Pomodoro
Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month
Coorlim’s Guide to NaNoWriMo is a multi-part series on writing, creativity, and the work-life balance throughout the month of November. Today we’re talking about Pomodoro.
Continuing our productivity discussion from last time’s discussion on word-count, today we’re going to be covering a productivity technique named after a tomato.
What is a Pomodoro?
Pomodoro, Italian for “tomato”, is a productivity technique that focuses on timing. It works well for writing, but you can apply it to any aspect of your life where there are multiple tasks involved. It’s a system of working and breaks that keeps your brain fresh and your focus on-task.
Core to the technique is the idea that frequent breaks keeps your concentration and attention fresh.
How does Pomodoro work?
Throughout the day you work in 25-minute intervals called “pomodori”. Each interval is separated by a 5-minute break, and every 4 pomodori forms a two-hour block. Each block is separate from the others by 20 minutes.
So a single block might look like this:
8:00 am start working
8:25 am stop, take a break
8:30 am start working again
8:55 am stop, take a break
9:00 am start working again
9:25 am stop, take a break
9:30 am start working again
9:55 am stop, take a break
Then you take a twenty-minute break, and start again at 10:15.
How I use Pomodoro for writing
Typically I write better in the mornings (something I discovered by tracking my work habits) so I’ll start off with a two-hour writing block on whatever my current project is. After that, I’ll work on one of my side-projects for a two-hour block… blogging, writing Hero Historia, a Book Nouveau video, catching up on social media, whatever.
Then I have lunch.
After lunch I hit another two-hour writing block, and the last two-hour block of my workday is whatever it needs to be.
Pomodoro alone has boosted my hourly wordcount from 1000 to 1500 words. It works for me, what can I say? Maybe it’ll work for you.
Pomodoro Tools
Pomodoro works best with a timer. I have a Pomodoro app for my phone, but I end up using the freeware Adobe Air Pomodairo program more often than not, when working on my laptop. Which is basically always.
Got any other productivity tips? Let us know in the comments below.
Questions? You are invited to either leave a comment below, or ask directly through the comment form.
The post Coorlim’s Guide to NaNoWriMo 6: Pomodoro appeared first on Michael Coorlim.
