Timeboxing isn't exactly a new concept on here, having been advocated by Khatz and countless others as a way of improving concentration, motivation and time management, especially in the context of SRS reviews. However, I'd like to share a recent discovery of mine, The Pomodoro Technique, which, to my mind, improves on traditional timeboxing in a number of interesting ways.

The basic method (as outlined on http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/) is as follows:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on some paper
4. Take a short break (i.e. 5 minutes)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (15-20 mins)

The main benefits I've noticed since I've been using this system are:

1. It provides an easy way to record the time I'm spending on each activity (SRS, drama, reading etc). This enables me to set motivating time based targets (e.g. 8 Pomodoros (4 hrs) a day = 1460 hrs a year, or 10,220 hrs - Gladwell's magic number!- after 7 years) and ensure a healthy balance between activities (e.g 3 pomodoros SRS, 3 pommodoros reading, 2 pomodoros drama-watching).

2. It has forced me to take regular breaks. Taking a break every 25 minuties keeps me fresh and reduces burn out. I get up and stretch and have a drink. Recently I've been been playing J-music during my 5 minute breaks to make the pomodoro into a full 30 minutes of Japanese (easier for recording purposes).

3. It's made it much easier for me to integrate Japanese into the rest of my life.
I was finding Khatz's 24/7 approach a bit much, and other areas of my life - work, relationships etc were suffering. Since I've been doing the pomodorro technique, I've been able to make time for my Japanese around my other commitments, reducing distractions and ensuring that the time I do have is spent productively.

Any concerns I had about timeboxing 'fun' activities such as reading and watching TV have proved to be largely unfounded. If anything I enjoy them more as I can relax, without the guillty feeling that I should be doing something else. Moreover I still read/ watch TV outside of pomodoros, when I have the time.

Thank you bungle. I think you just summarized the Pomodorro's lengthy book perfectly.

[ファブリス]

Was this technique mentionned on a high traffic blog recently? I just saw some printed pages today with the Pomodorro logo on a desk nearby.. "Synchronicity" OMG!! :p

Hmmm, looks interesting, but it's just a simple idea given a fancy name and a shiny website. I'll read over the pdf of the book and see if it's more than that.

You're right - it is an extremely simple idea. It's essentially just standard timeboxing with a few (to my mind crucial) modifications.

Still common sense isn't always common practice. Most of us know that it's good to take breaks/ switch activities/set achieveable goals/ not get distracted by English language media etc. Actually practicing these habits however, is a totally different ballgame.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know if anyone else is having success with the technique and what modifications, if any, they have made.

I like the pomodoro technique There is a shorter cheat sheet which explains everything.

bungle Wrote:1. It provides an easy way to record the time I'm spending (...)

2. It has forced me to take regular breaks. (...)

3. It's made it much easier for me to integrate Japanese into the rest of my life. (...)

It's funny that you haven't mentioned the best thing that this technique taught me: I'm forced to work for 25 minutes without wandering and taking breaks every 30 seconds. I work more, the rest is a side-effect

I agree, mypapa12, that's a great benefit, but one which equally applies to traditional timeboxing. My original post was concerning what I see as the unique benefits of the pomodoro technique as opposed to traditonal timeboxing.

So in case you'd forget to get distracted by something else you use a timer to remind you? And that's supposed to boost your productivity?

No. In case you forget to take a break you use a timer to remind you. You do a solid 25 minutes of work, without distractions, then you take a break.

Come on, seriously, 25 min is not enough. For most activities it takes longer to even get started. Once you finally are "in the zone" you should use that concentration as much as possible. Not start taking breaks right away.

Yes it's a simple method but it's been working for me.

By "formalising" my time management I've seen a significant increase in the number of productive study hours. Previously I was too easily sidetracked and one click on a link someone sent me would result in an hour or so of wasted net surfing.

In the breaks i go play a game of wii table tennis to get the blood flowing. My mind just feels fresher and 25 mins seems like nothing to get through.

Hey, thanks for the information.
It's a nice set of some simple rules which seem to lead to better productivity.
I'll try it out in the next days to see how it works. For my anki review it worked quite fine. Finished my reviews faster with less distractions.

@Codexus: That's an interesting argument. But the question is, how often do you really get in the zone? And how ofter do you get easily distracted and waste time? Everybody has to make a tradeoff here and has to figure out for himself which way is more productive. If you don't have problems with distractions and your productivity is just fine there is of course no need to use this system.

Also I think it's okay to change the "pomodoro time" according to the task and ones productivity. But for most activities, where you usually don't get (easily) into the flow, 25 minutes sound quite fine to me.

I'll try it out and see how it works. Right now I am quiet dissatisfied with my productivity, so this post came just in the right time.

Proxx Wrote:... Right now I am quiet dissatisfied with my productivity, so this post came just in the right time.

me too.
I have been struggling with reviews - mainly from distractions, which i am hoping formalized time boxing can help tune my fous.

Here's some other time hacks you might like... I think we posted some more elsewhere but can't remember: http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=2421

People here seem very fond of this one, posted in the thread above: http://www.43folders.com/2005/10/11/proc...-hack-1025

I usually just tinker around with variations, myself. Not sure I like the idea of codifying a particular time hack (or giving it its own website, hehe, but I think I'm just miffed that that idiot Gladwell got another namedrop. Hate that guy. ;p)

My hack is called... The Dororo Technique!! j/k

Codexus Wrote:Come on, seriously, 25 min is not enough. For most activities it takes longer to even get started. Once you finally are "in the zone" you should use that concentration as much as possible. Not start taking breaks right away.

25 minutes seems like enough to me (given that we are not talking about 25 minutes per day, but rather 25 minutes before a break). Doesn't this depend on personal preference?

I can see how you might object to Gladwell as a populist, a reductionist, or even a stater of the bleeding obvious, but I personally enjoyed reading Outliers. As I said before apropos of the pomodoro technique, common sense is not common practice.

I tried it a bit a few weeks back, and I love it! I works great for concentrating your efforts and keeping a little carrot out in front. Organizing time, and using positive reinforcement are good practice. If your in "the zone" I think it's fine to stay there, but if you take a short break (it can be as little as 2-3 minuets) and stretch a bit, get up and get a little blood flow, you get a little refresher, and jump right back in "the zone." I found it effective, and kept me from diddling around too much on a certain web site forum who's name I shall not utter...

I give it the seal of approval, and I'm putting into practice starting NOW..... I'll see you folks in 2 hours!

bungle Wrote:I can see how you might object to Gladwell as a populist, a reductionist, or even a stater of the bleeding obvious, but I personally enjoyed reading Outliers. As I said before apropos of the pomodoro technique, common sense is not common practice.

I object to him as degrading scientific discourse (writing accessibly but inaccurately, with specious, vapid conclusions) on a broad level, in order to make money. I have issues with Derren Brown for similar reasons, actually (he essentially makes psychology the new magic within magic, convincing people psychology is capable of more than it really is--the same kind of people who end up buying worthless NLP products). Oops, getting sidetracked, my apologies, I admit that while my points are arguable, they're also highly subjective, so.

But yes back to other points raised by others, as T-san said, and what I kind of meant with the codification bit, if you get into the zone, as it were, feel free to keep going when timeboxing! Same with breaks. It's all about getting in tune with your flow... the external structure's immutability, as the goal of time management usually suggests, reaches its limits and usefulness for deadlines and suchlike.

O/T: nestor, you might enjoy the recent Steven Pinker harsh review of Gladwell, Gladwell's response, and the ensuing petty exchange (which is also being published). I'm hoping it's all some kind of joke...

Thora Wrote:O/T: nestor, you might enjoy the recent Steven Pinker harsh review of Gladwell, Gladwell's response, and the ensuing petty exchange (which is also being published). I'm hoping it's all some kind of joke...

hehe, I've been following that a little, because I'm not fond of any of the people involved (especially S. Sailer)... But I try to timebox--I mean Pomodoro Technique™ my schadenfreude, so as not to turn bitter inside.

Ok I'm back! 4 "Pomodorro's" and I got my house cleaned and books, drawers organized - Check 'em the list and I'm ready for 勉強!

I think a structured TB like this works well for me also because It gives a clearer sense of time vs priorities. And the structure is helpful to me for learning the art of discipline, as it supports a sequence of actions conductive to my goals (I don't really talk like this LOL).

And keeps me from indulging bad habits - long winded posts for example....

- times up!

I like my system of an hour on, half an hour off(which I usually use to watch anime). Like Codexus said, I need more than 25 minutes to get into something. I'm not sure what I'd do with only a 5 minute break.

You could treat your anime as study time; that's what I do. As I understand it, though I'm not a Pomodoro master, your break is supposed to be something that disengages your brain. My Japanese isn't good enough that watching something in Japanese is "disengaging"--I'm constantly thinking about the dialogue and I might even stop to look things up or replay something I didn't catch.

My approach is more "frequent change of pace, using ~10 min timeboxes" than the more structured and longer-box approach of Pomodoro. Actually, I suspect that might be a weakness in Pomodoro: bookkeeping overhead is the primary reason that Pomodoro uses its longer-than-psychologically-optimal boxes.

Added to the wiki, The Pomodoro Technique contributions heavily hinted

wiki Wrote:The Pomodoro Technique is a method of time management, similar in principle to Timeboxing.

I'm sorry, maybe I'm just not getting something here. But how is "The Pomodoro Technique" any different than timeboxing?


In any case, why are we spending time doing free marketing for this guy? This 'technique' is just shallow and gimmicky application of trademark to common sense and current practice for no other reason than to make a quick buck. Why are we aiding this?