pomodoro brilliance: part 1 (why it works)

working in pomodoros has provided and continues to provide me with a ton of value. there are a couple of different levels of this and it’s evolved over time, but before getting to that, here’s how/why they work. if you’re unsure of what a pomodoro is check out this 2.5 minute video before reading on.

• pomodoros work because they are based on the natural patterns of the human brain. our brains are ineffective when they are expected put to work for indefinite stretches of time. my guess is that this is an evolutionary trait that has something to do with hunting for small amounts of time, which requires high focus, and gathering, which requires low focus. just a guess. turns out, our brains are most effective, and able to stay effective for longer spans of time, when we alternate between stretches of focus and non-focus (sidenote: imo, this is why the worlds of standardized tests and the knowledge work are so bad).
• additionally, pomodoros support focus by creating specific time for distractions. this allows you to really focus during the focused times. when you don’t know when you’re going to take your next break, there’s no reason to not check your texts (or facebook, instagram, email, whatever) every time one pops up. however, if you know that you’ll be checking regularly, the need to check incessantly diminishes.

now the highest value that pomodoros provided me was during my thesis process. but i’m out of time so i’ll have to write part 2 of this tomorrow!