An article about pomodoro technique.

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I read the book Illustration of pomodoro technique this week, and began to practice, studying and working with pomodoro technique (in fact, I wrote an article about the official account of WeChat). As a matter of fact, at the time of writing this article, I was already using the tomato clock to time.

Pomodoro technique is actually very simple, really simple, as long as very simple tools (paper, pen, people) can start.

However, the pomodoro technique introduced in the book is a very low-end version, and everyone can continue to upgrade and form a new pomodoro technique with their own unique style.

For example, this may be difficult to understand.

Today's smart phones, except Apple, all use Android system, which is an open source mobile phone system developed by Google. Anyone can get the Android system provided by Google, and then develop their own systems that are more suitable for their mobile phones, such as Xiaomi, Huawei, LeTV and other brands.

Pomodoro technique mentioned in the book is like this Android system. You can continue to improve this version to make it more suitable for your own situation. This is the process of redevelopment.

However, before R&D, we still need to know about pomodoro technique. After reading the book, I sorted out some contents and added some thoughts to form the following article.

Pomodoro technique is a means of time management, but more accurately, it is a means of self-management.

Time can't be seen or touched, and it can't be forcibly changed, so that it can stand still or go upstream. It can be said that we ordinary people are powerless to time. Therefore, time is actually unmanageable, and only we can really manage it.

The tomato working method will set a tomato clock time (the specific time is arbitrary, but it should be consistent and cannot be changed at will). What you have to do in the tomato clock time is to concentrate, remove obstacles and complete the current task. When the tomato clock time is over, immediately put down the task, have a rest, and then start the next tomato clock time.

In the morning, you need to arrange today's to-do list and the tomato clock time. How many tomato clocks does a task need to complete? During the day, it is the task of completing today's to-do list; After work in the evening, sort out the information and review the day.

Pomodoro technique wants to manage himself better and concentrate on the most important things, instead of wasting time and attention on boring and meaningless things.

It's very simple, just three pieces of white paper or horizontal grid paper and a pen, and the paper is better to be bigger.

The first piece of paper is used as an activity list to record the work, study tasks, housework and so on that you think need to be completed today and even in the future.

The activity list can be infinitely long in theory, and you can add tasks to it anytime and anywhere.

If you decide to do it at a certain time, you can add time, such as: cleaning the room,12.6 pm 7: 00; If the task has a deadline, you can also write "deadline", for example, complete the design scheme of the exhibition hall, 20 16.6438+02.438+05.

The second piece of paper, to be made today, takes a new piece of paper every morning, records the tasks that need to be completed today, and arranges the tomato clock time. Remember, this is a promise to be fulfilled today. Don't break your word.

When you arrange tasks in the morning, you need to make overall arrangements. Considering your limited attention in a day, you must finish the most important things in the most energetic period, and also pay attention to projects with deadlines, and don't put them off until the end.

Facing a big project, you can break it down into small tasks, and then arrange the specific completion time according to the small tasks. Remember, a task should not exceed 5 tomato hours.

The third piece of paper is used as a "record" to record the relevant data in the evening, such as the number of times each project was interrupted and the hours spent on tomatoes, and then eliminate these data to improve your work efficiency and workflow. You can explore this by yourself, or you can communicate with other people who use pomodoro technique.

According to the book, there are two kinds of interrupts, one is internal interrupt and the other is external interrupt.

Internal interruption: This interruption comes from yourself. Maybe you want to drink coffee, maybe you suddenly think of a new task to complete, or for other reasons, you have to give up the action.

Don't pay too much attention to the reasons that discourage you from giving up your action, but pay attention to the reasons behind these reasons, the reasons that really stop you from taking action. Otherwise, you have solved one reason, and Qian Qian has thousands of reasons to stop you. Everyone has different reasons for procrastination, but there are always some that most people have, such as:

1, want to be perfect, let yourself have a lot of psychological pressure.

Solution: If you are creative, I'll tell you a way. Just start. Before I start, I can tell myself that what I am doing now is a "junk work", but I can slowly modify it and make it perfect. That's what I write now. Before I write, I told you that I wrote "garbage", but I can correct it.

2, no clue, I don't know how to start.

Solution: Find an old driver to lead the way. If you don't know, ask someone else. After asking, you can repeat your understanding to prevent misunderstanding. Then, break down the big task into simple and easy small tasks and complete them one by one.

I don't think this matter is important.

Solution: In the first case, it really doesn't matter, but it needs to be done. You'd better do it.

In the second case, it is really important, but what the brain tells you is not important. For example, learning English, does your brain (subconscious) really think it is important? Then why can't you learn well In the face of this situation, we must brainwash ourselves and tell the brain that this is very important and form a habit.

3. Other reasons

Please find the reasons and solutions yourself.

Disturbance from outside: Obviously, this is someone else's interruption anytime and anywhere, but you can't refuse it simply and rudely, otherwise who will make friends with you, but it is even worse to let the other person interrupt the tomato clock at will, so you need a strategy.

For email or SMS, QQ, WeChat, etc. You can reply in a unified way during the break. QQ, WeChat, SMS, etc. None of them are instant chat tools, because you are not sure whether the other party will be online at any time. Therefore, if there is something, it is best to make it clear at once, so that the other party can understand it as soon as they see it and make corresponding arrangements.

If it is a phone call or an interview, you can take the following four steps:

1, inform: I am busy at hand.

Negotiation: Can I help you on Friday? Or I/kloc-call you back in 0/5 minutes (a tomato clock later), ok?

3. Plan: Add this item to the activity list and mark the time (Friday or 15 minutes later).

4. Answer: Answer each other as promised. Honesty is the foundation of mutual trust.

If it is urgent and needs to be solved now, then give up this tomato clock time, solve the problem first, and then start a new tomato clock time again.

When using pomodoro technique, it must be remembered that the tomato clock time is the smallest unit of time and inseparable. Therefore, once interrupted, the tomato clock time will be invalid, and only a new tomato clock time can be arranged.

If you suddenly feel that there is something you haven't done during the tomato time, unless it is really urgent, you don't have to interrupt the tomato clock time and do it specially.

You can also add a list under today's to-do list: unplanned emergencies.

This form is specially used to record unexpected events. If there is no plan, it comes to mind suddenly, or it is learned suddenly, it must be completed today. If you don't plan to do it today, add it to the activity list, and add a U to the left to indicate that there is no plan.

After recording the emergency, add an apostrophe' to the right of the task where the current tomato clock time is located, or add a minus sign to mark the external interrupt.

1, tomato clock time is inviolable.

Don't let others interrupt the tomato clock at will, let alone yourself, because you are sending a signal to the brain and others that pomodoro technique is not important. After receiving this signal, others and your brain will no longer respect pomodoro technique, and will be interrupted more and more times in the future until you give up completely.

2, tomato clock time is the smallest, inseparable.

3. When a task takes 5 to 7 tomato hours, it needs to be disassembled again.

Five tomato clocks is the maximum time for a task. Do not exceed this limit. If so, think carefully about why.

4. If one activity takes less time than a tomato clock, other activities are needed to make up for it.

Remember rule 2? The tomato clock has the smallest time and cannot be divided. So after the task is completed, you can continue to fill in the blanks with other tasks until the tomato clock time is over.

5. pomodoro technique must include rest.

Man is not a machine, of course he needs a rest. Don't put yourself under pressure for a long time. After every tomato break, rest for 3 ~ 5 minutes, and after every four tomato breaks, rest for about 15 ~ 20 minutes.

6. pomodoro technique cannot be used for leisure activities.

Don't you think leisure activities are also a task?

7. The tomato time should be fixed and cannot be changed at will, otherwise it cannot be analyzed.

If you set the tomato time at 25 minutes, it will be the standard for at least one day. If the tomato time is changed to 40 minutes the next day, it can't be analyzed on the first day.

This is my understanding of pomodoro technique. Of course, the content in the book is much richer than my article, and there is still a lot of content, so you can read it yourself if you are interested.

Reading on WeChat, I have bought the book Illustration of pomodoro technique, and I can give one away. If you like, you can leave a message under my official WeChat account article, and I will give it to the first reader.