Smash your Deadlines: Pomodoro Technique

Do you struggle with meeting deadlines? Are you a professional procrastinator? Are you someone who leaves tasks and assignments to the very last minute? Do you spend hours staring at a blank screen hoping words will magically appear, that inspiration will strike?

Want to learn a technique to overcome this? It’s the technique I am using right now, to write this blog.

It’s called the Pomodoro Technique.

And it is one of the best ways to become a productive powerhouse.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique that increases productivity by dividing focused work periods with short breaks. Where you will focus specifically on your task for 25 minutes uninterrupted before having a 5-minute break to complete other tasks (relax, have fun, answering emails, checking phone, scrolling through social media, making a coffee, or any other task that isn’t your main focus.)

Invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro Technique was named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro - Italian word for tomato) Cirillo used during his university years.

How it Works

• Choose your task, the thing you want to focus on.

• Set a timer for 25 minutes.

• Work intensly for the duration. Avoid external distractions.

• After the 25 minutes take a short break. 5 minutes to relax, do something you enjoy or complete any other task you need to do, which is separate from your main task.

• Repeat.

• After 4 intervals, take a longer break 15-30 minutes to allow for a longer rest and recovery.

Why it’s Effective

So why does it work? The Pomodoro Technique is an effective way to manage your time and increase productivity by allowing you to focus solely on the task at hand without distractions.

By forcing breaks, you avoid burnout and fatigue.

Plus, it is easier for someone to focus solidly for 25 minutes, opposed to longer periods, especially if there is no end in sight. It also helps to avoid distractions and wasting time by multitasking and procrastinating.

I personally find this technique to be extremely beneficial. Especially because I’ve always been a big procrastinator, focusing on everything except what needs to be done, and delaying the inevitable.

Now after discovering this technique, my productivity has done a complete 180, I’m more motivated, inspired and focused then I’ve ever been, allowing me to complete tasks in half the time I would have in the past. And I find that the more I do this technique, the more my productivity increases and often by the time I get to my “break” time, I don’t want to stop.

Having said that, the breaks are their to stop you from burning out and running out of steam, so if you are on a roll, feel free to adjust the time, or skip a break, but don’t forgo them completely, they are essential for making this technique work for you.

There are many apps you can download that can help you organise yourself using this technique, find the one that works for you, and see how your productivity skyrockets.

Until next time, Happy Writing!

If you need help finding inspiration or want to take a break and leave the marketing and content creating up to somebody else, then Contact me today or join The Digital Branding Journey, where I will deep dive into your business and help you to generate leads, increase your traffic and build your brand through engaging creative content.

Hi there! I’m Kaeleigh, a Digital Marketer with a focus on Creative Content & Copywriting, who helps business owners and entrepreneurs generate leads, increase traffic and build their brands through engaging creative content.