What to do during Pomodoro breaks? If you’re wondering what are the best break to boost your productivity, then you’ve come to the right place!
How Does The Pomodoro Technique Work?
This is a short guide on how to make the Pomodoro technique work. You can change the time frames depending on the periods of focus and break that work for you.
For the purpose of this short guide, I’m going to be using 25 minutes.
- Choose A Task – this is an important first step. You’re going to want to know exactly what you’re working on and what you would like to accomplish; this will help you to maximize your efficacy.
- Minimize Distractions – next up, you’re going to want to minimize all distractions that you can. This means, no phone, no internet browser (outside of one for work), and nothing else that can bother you.
- Work/Rest Cycles – In this part of the technique, you will work for 25 minutes, and then break for 5 minutes.
- Repeat/Longer Breaks – Now repeat this process 4 times, before taking a much longer 30-minute break once you’re done. The 30-minute break can be considered a much larger rest, and you may want to vary what you’re going to do over this period of time.
Pomodoro Break Ideas
During your Pomodoro breaks, you want something that resets your mind, but also something that you can do in under 5 minutes.
In this section, I’ve placed a list of the best things you can do during your Pomodoro breaks.
Best For Short Breaks
1. A Simple Walk
This is a 5-minute break that’s all about getting up to stretch your legs. Take a moment away from your writing desk or computer screen.
Take a look around your room, and take a little walk around your house or around your room. You can also go to your window and take a look outside, perhaps crack it open and allow yourself some fresh air.
These actions will recharge your mind and let you sit back down refreshed and ready to work again.
2. Drink Or Snack
A 5-minute break is a perfect time to go fetch yourself a small snack or drink. I would recommend consuming something light that will assist you in your work.
If you choose something too heavy, or something with excessive caffeine, you could find that it interferes with the quality of your next session.
3. Listen To Music
Next up, I’d recommend having a short break to listen to some music.
Preferably some without lyrics, as these could distract you and make you more susceptible to losing concentration.
However, you should pick a type of music that focuses you, and that you enjoy.
Best For Long Breaks
4. Guided Meditation
Meditation can be a great way to reset your mind and get ready to work again.
There are many free and effective guided meditations you can find on the internet, and I’d recommend using one to allow your mind to recharge for your longer Pomodoro break.
5. Go For A Walk
In today’s modern age of working from home and office buildings, going out for a walk can be a great way to recharge yourself.
Take a walk around your neighborhood, get some fresh air, and light exercise. By the time you come back, you’ll be ready to get back to work right away.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it!
If you still have some questions, make sure to check below for the FAQ section below. I wish you the best of luck during your next work session and hope that you have a very productive time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Are The Breaks Important In The Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro is all about short breaks and periods of sustained work. The reason that so many people find it effective is that it allows your body to work within a classic ‘cycle.’
Generally, the longer we focus on any given task, the more taxing it is for your mind and body. The Pomodoro utilizes breaks to help your mind recharge before shooting back into an intense 25 minutes of focus.
The two parts of this cycle are integral and if you skip out on either then you will find that the technique won’t work for you.
But here’s the thing—a break means a break! There are very many wrong things you can do with your break time that will ruin the quality of your focused work periods.
What Is The Origin Of The Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that was invented in the 1990s by software developer Francesco Cirillo.
It was created as a way to help working people properly manage their time throughout a work day; especially if they have a lot to juggle and need frequent breaks to reset their minds.
The Pomodoro technique is simple and revolves around the basic principle of a period of intense, focused work, and then a short break.
You might be wondering why it’s called Pomodoro—this comes from the kitchen timer that was used by Francesco Cirillo.
Cirillo had a tomato-shaped kitchen timer and would use it in order to better focus for sustained periods of time.
Pomodoro is the Italian word for ‘tomato’ and was adopted as the name as a reference to this old kitchen timer.
