Time-boxing technique for getting work planned and completed. Useful for academics (teachers and learners), clinicians and for our Occupational Therapy clients. Habit-training.

1. Pomodoro
Technique®
You
say
tomato
&
I
say
tamahto
Susan
Burwash
PhD,
OT(C),
OTR/L
•
Anita
Hamilton
MOccThy(ContPrac),
GCHE,
BAppSc(OT)
•
Merrolee
Penman
MA(Educ),
DipTeach(Tert),
NZROT
Why?
Both
occupaOonal
therapists
and
the
clients
we
work
with
may
struggle
with
task
compleOon.
The
Pomodoro
Technique®
is
a
free,
easy
to
learn
and
teach
approach
to
producOvity
that
may
help
with:
reducing
anxiety
•
addressing
procrasOnaOon
•
combaOng
distracOons
(internal
and
external)
•
coping
with
compleOng
demands
•
not
being
overwhelmed
by
the
scope
of
a
task
•
being
moOvated
to
start
a
task
•
persevering
with
a
task
•
being
able
to
plan
a
task
•
learning
how
long
tasks
actually
take
•
tracking
and
celebraOng
progress
•
reflecOng
on
work
performance
and
work
tasks
•
forming
more
producOve
habits
•
gaining
Ome
for
leisure
and
rest
It
is
useful
for
those
working
on
major
projects
in
both
academic
or
clinical
seZngs.
What’s
not
to
love
about
something
that
helps
with
these
important
life
skills
and
with
geZng
things
done?
How?
Authors
are
academics,
working
full-­‐Ome
while
undertaking
doctoral
studies.
While
we
didn’t
conduct
a
study
of
using
Pomodoro
Technique
(we
were
too
busy
with
our
own
research),
we
have
been
sharing
our
experiences
with
each
other,
with
colleagues
also
working
on
a
variety
of
projects,
and
with
students.
It
is
this
clinical
exper,se
that
we
wish
to
share
as
one
form
of
evidence
for
the
value
of
this
approach.
1st
author:
• has
been
using
for
5+
years.
Discovered
through
Life
Hacker
website,
and
again
on
the
Thesis
Whisperer
website.
• Has
used
iPhone
app
(Focus
Time)
from
the
start.
Appreciates
being
able
to
graph
• Added
use
of
planning
sheets
(To
Do
sheets)
and
someOmes
AcOvity
Inventory
sheets.
Made
a
significant
difference
in
usefulness.
Breaking
down
tasks,
got
beber
at
esOmaOng
how
long
tasks
would
take,
developing
planning
&
wriOng
habits.
• Crucial
importance
of
using
first
pomodoro
of
the
day
to
review,
plan,
organize.
• Planning
for
health
breaks,
discovering
non-­‐demanding
tasks
to
complete
in
breaks.
Taking
the
breaks
is
criOcal!
2nd
author:
• Learned
about
technique
from
1st
author.
• Took
the
Ome
to
read
the
manual
and
used
planning
tools
from
the
start.
Developed
own
version
of
To
Do
Sheet,
integrated
into
day
planner
at
work.
• First
25
minutes
of
planning
is
sacred.
• Designs
in
Ome
at
beginning
and
end
of
day
to
check
e-­‐mail.
• Planning
Ome
away
from
tasks
very
important
–
Ome
that
is
NOT
pomodoro
Ome.
• First
used
Omer
on
phone,
now
using
an
app
with
a
Ocking
Omer,
start/stop
ring
and
graph.
SaOsfying
to
see
how
many
pomodoros
have
been
completed.
• Has
trained
office
colleagues
to
ask
if
she’s
in
the
middle
of
a
pomodoro.
3rd
author:
• Learned
about
technique
from
1st
and
2nd
author.
•
Read
the
online
resource
manual.
Started
using
soiware
that
was
PC
compaOble,
allowed
tracking
of
staOsOcs.
Now
using
an
app.
• Importance
of
it
being
easy
enough
to
use,
and
being
disciplined
so
didn’t
get
caught
up
in
the
“bells
and
whistles”,
distracted
by
tools.
• Used
it
to
train
self
to
abend
to
one
task
at
a
Ome.
ReflecOve
tool
on
work
process.
• Value
of
the
Ocking
clock
as
a
moOvator.
Sensory
input
was
appealing.
• Used
5
minute
breaks
to
do
something
physical,
or
a
household
task
that
otherwise
might
not
get
done.
Resources
Pomodoro
Technique
web-­‐site:
hbp://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
Learni.st
board
about
Pomodoro
Technique:
hbp://bit.ly/10jO8pj
What?
• A
“life
hack”
–
a
way
to
do
things
beber,
smarter.
• A
form
of
“Ome-­‐boxing”
used
in
project
management.
• Developed
by
Italian
F.
Cirillo
as
a
tool
for
increasing
producOvity.
Cirillo
used
a
Omer
shaped
like
a
tomato
(pomodoro)
to
work
for
25
minutes,
with
short
breaks
between
focused
work
sessions.
This
is
how
25
minutes
became
1
pomododo.
• At
its
simplest:
define
tasks,
esOmate
how
many
pomodoros
it
will
take
to
complete
or
make
defined
progress
on
that
task,
complete
task
during
one
or
more
pomodoros.
May
or
may
not
use
planning
sheets.
• Track
internal
and
external
interrupOons
during
work
sessions;
determine
if
these
are
urgent
or
if
they
can
be
addressed
later
(in
day
or
week)
and
conOnue
to
complete
work
plan.
Protect
your
Ome
for
work.
• 5
objecOves
to
observe,
track
and
evaluate
Ome
use.
• Manual,
Ac4vity
Inventory,
ToDo
sheets
available
for
free
on
web-­‐site.