Time Management: The Pomodoro Method
Mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can significantly impact your ability to manage time and leave you with large gaps when you overestimate how long something will take or the need to race to finish an item in the allotted span. The Pomodoro Method is a time management system developed by then college student Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It makes tasks more manageable by breaking them down into 25 minute units and can greatly benefit individuals with ADHD. The name of the system was inspired by the tomato-shaped timer Cirillo used while he was creating it.
To implement the Pomodoro Method, minimize distractions by switching your phone to Do Not Disturb. Using a timer, work for 25 minutes before taking a 5 minute break. Repeat this four times before having a longer 15 to 20 minute break during which you step away from your desk or work space if possible. For your 5 minute breaks take a short walk, make yourself a snack, listen to a song that motivates you or water your plants, etc. In the 15 to 20 minute break consider going outside to soak up some sun; doing something artistic, like creating a doodle or an impromptu poem or playing an instrument; beginning food prep for dinner, emptying the dishwasher or folding a load of laundry (if you are studying or working at home); or using a cognitive app like Duolingo or Luminosity.
Organize your workspace to prevent clutter from leading to a disorganized mind. To stay focused, place different colored Post-it Notes on sources of distraction, like your telephone or laptop. Every time you spot one, ask yourself, “Am I working on what I am supposed to be doing?” While To Do Lists can be helpful, simply completing what is next can lead you to focus on menial or mundane tasks that require your immediate attention, but have no real impact on your future. Instead take a moment to identify your values and then create “Priority Item Lists” that place things in order of their importance. At the end of each day or the next morning, identify your top three items for the following 24 hours.
Getting started is often the hardest part of a task so the Pomodoro Method makes it more likely that you will do so and can provide an immediate sense of accomplishment as you complete each 25 minute session. It also can combat the “planning fallacy” in which individuals not only underestimate the time it will take them to complete tasks (despite knowing that it typically has taken much longer in the past), but also overestimate how long they actually spent working. Effective time management can improve your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety and frustration; allowing you to discover free time in your day; and leading to more and better sleep.
Image by Marco Verch via Flickr.