Time Blocking and the Tomato Timer Technique for Time Management?
Summary:
The tomato timer technique is also known as the pomadoro technique. It’s named for this particular type of timer that’s shaped like a tomato. The idea is you break up your work into these twenty five minute chunks. Ika: Is it possible to use both time blocking and the tomato timer technique for managing my time?
Transcript:
Speaker 2
is it possible to use both time blocking and the tomato timer technique for managing my time? All
Speaker 1
right, for those who aren’t sure what’s being referenced here, the tomato timer technique is also known as the pomadoro technique. It’s named for this particular type of timer that’s shaped like a tomato. And the idea is you break up your work into these twenty five minute chunks, and you set the timer, and you let the timer chick down, and you just work on what you’re working on. Till the timer rings, and you give put a check mark on a piece of paper, take a short break and repeat. After youve one this fortimes, you take a longer break. The basic idea. Now, the nice thing about the pomadora method is that it is about minimizing contact shifting, in the sense that you’re working on somethig til the timer goes off, then you get a break. So you get used to this idea, if i work on something for a while without constantly checking in boxes, constantly checking my phone whend i’m doing something, i’m doing one thing at a time. It’s oe of the big ideas in my new book, a world without emale s, that contact shifting is product poison. So this is good. You say, i have a break coming up when this timer finishes. So i’m not going to interrupt what i’m doing now. I’ll wait till i get to that break. And so i like that about the pomodor technique. I also like its connection to stimuli response. So you just get used to this timer turning on means you work. When it goes off, you stop your it’s a what we would call, in my book, deep work. It’s like a deep work ritual it’s something your mind learns when that time goes on. I’m just focusing on one thing. So i’m very much allined with the motivation behind a parmodoro technique, but i tend to think of time blocking as a more general alternative. So with time blocking, you’re accomplishing something similar when you give every minute of your day a job. You know what you’re supposed to be doing in a given time block. You know, like emale checking or brakes are scheduled in their own blocks. So all you have to commit to is this notion, if i follow the time block plan, so i’m in this block for riding something while, i’m going to write till that block’s over. I’m not going to check email now, because that happens at this other time. (Time 0:14:20)