Friday, 15 January 2016

App of the Month: Pomodoro Time

This month’s app is a simple one, and very appropriate
for the time of year!  As it’s all about time management, improving your
productivity, limiting procrastination and getting things done.  Yup, something
we all need in the working or studying world, but it seems particularly
relevant now that it’s the winter assessment season.  So if you’re studying for
exams, writing essays or already out there in the big scary real life working
world, this app could be a pretty useful one for you! 

Name: Pomodoro
Time

Category: Productivity

Available On:
iPhone (However similar apps can be found for other platforms)

Price: Free

I was originally recommended a similar app called Orange
Time Management by a friend, but after doing some research I found this app,
Pomodoro Time, which is identical with a few added extras.  Although being a
more basic version of Pomodoro Time, Orange Time Management is available on the
Apple App Store, Amazon and Google Play for free if you’d like to give it a go
and have an Android or Kindle or something else other than an Apple product. 

If you’ve ever heard of the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ you’ve
probably already guessed what this app is all about, however if you’re like me
and thought that Pomodoro was purely something to do with pasta then get ready
for some knowledge coming your way! 

First fact, Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, congrats
you now know at least one word in Italian.  You’re welcome.  So I’m taking about
some kind of tomato timer?  What do tomatoes have to do with anything?  And why
am I suddenly starting to feel hungry?  All the talk of Italian food has my
stomach rumbling. 

But back to the point in hand.  The Pomodoro Timer is
based on that Pomodoro Technique I mentioned earlier.  The Tomato is actually kind
of relevant, because if I say Tomato Timer, what do you think of?  Hopefully a
kitchen timer!  And this app is essentially just a timer. 

The idea is you spend 25 minutes working distraction
free, and then have a 5 minute break.  Do another 25 minutes solid work, then
take another 5 minute break.  Rinse and repeat.  Then after you’ve done this 4 times
you’ve earned a half hour break.  So that works out as 1 hour 20 minutes solid
distraction and procrastination free work for 50 minutes of down time. 

So you're getting me so far?  Or rather you’re understanding the dynamics, don’t worry
I didn’t get it at first either but I gave it a go, and somehow an app I didn’t
think would be staying on my phone for longer than 5 minutes is something I’ve
used almost every day for the last week of my revision, and even now while
writing this post. 

I know this won’t work for everyone, but it has for me,
and I put the PRO in procrastination.  Whether it’s snacking, cleaning, seeing
how many veggie marshmallows I can fit in my mouth, social media, Netflix… I
really do struggle to get into my work.  But this app really forced me to focus
for those 25 minutes, which really felt like no time at all but before I knew
it I was getting more and more done in those brief slots.  Then 5 minutes is
just enough time for a quick refresher.  In 5 minutes you can have

a catch up on
social media, take a few pics of your accomplishments to flaunt on Instagram,
make a cup of tea, have a toilet break, do some stretching, maybe have a quick
ciggie, basically there’s a lot you can do in 5 minutes.. Hmm… I see a
potential blogpost there. 

So there’s the general idea.  These 25 minute slots are
called ‘pomodoros’ and ‘Pomodoro’ Time allows you to set how many you want to
complete a day, track them and assign them to different categories of task.  As
a result you can keep up with how much time you’re actually putting into things,
and hopefully improve your productivity! 

This one definitely has a thumbs up from me!  If you try
it out let me know how you found it!