The Pomodoro method

The Pomodoro method [1] is a management method developed by F. Cirillo. It aims at working on single tasks for a limited amount of time (typically by “chunks” of 20 to 25 minutes) before moving to the next task.

The core of the method is to use a timer (such as a tomato shape kitchen timer, Pomodoro in Italian, hence the name) to clearly mark the work periods.

If this method is not adapted to some aspects of an experimental nuclear physicist work (data analysis usually requires a deep dive for long hours into code and data), it can be helpful when it comes to administrative tasks, for example. When small, low-value tasks are pilling up, using the pomodoro method is a good way to start checking items off your to-do list.

Obviously, the kitchen timer (whether in the shape of a tomato or an egg) is not a usual laboratory equipment. But many tools exist to implement your own pomodoro sessions. Microsoft Windows’s Clock application has a focus sessions tool that automatically countdown work and break sessions. Website like pomofocus.io offer the same kind of countdowns.

Footnotes

[1]

The Pomodoro Technique