327 - What The Heck Is The Pomodoro Technique?

0:00This is my first podcast of 2025. It's a new year. It's a time when a lot of people reflect, think about what's happened, what they want to do, and a time when a lot of people, for whatever reason, seem to struggle emotionally. I don't know if that's because they're missing family, or they're missing what they didn't do the previous year, or they're partying too much and drinking too much. I don't know what it is, but when you mentor quite a few people, you see trends. And in this last few weeks, I've seen both people who have done things during the downtime of holidays, as some people think about it.

0:40I do not think about it that way. And those that have pushed things aside until after the first of the year. And those that have done things during the holiday, not all, but a lot of them have worked out. I'm a never-ask, never get kind of guy. So if you don't contact somebody during the holidays, you will get nothing. But if you do contact someone during the holidays, you might stand a chance. Again, never ask, never get. So I like to be on that side of the equation. But I wanted to talk to you about one of the other things I've seen, and that is a lot of people saying they're having trouble focusing.

1:20How can they focus better, et cetera, et cetera. And so I'd like to pass on something that a lot of people use, and that's the Pomodoro technique. Truth be told, I do not use it, but I have no issue with those people who do. A lot of people say, well, I've got ADHD, and this is something that oftentimes helps that. So it's a time management method that was designed to help people work with time rather than against it. And it was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, who used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, hence the pomodoro. There's a pomodoro tomato in Italian. That's what pomodoro means, to manage.

2:05So how does it work? And then how can you make it work for you? So the pomodoro technique breaks work into focused intervals, usually 25 minutes, can be as long as 50 minutes. and they're called Pomodoros, followed by short breaks. So you would choose a task, decide on what that task is you want to complete, set a timer for 25 minutes, 50 minutes, whatever it is, work entirely on that task for the full 25 minutes, no distractions, turn off your phone, turn off a TV, close the door, don't look at your email, all those things. Take a short break, which is usually five minutes. something like that step away for from the work and then repeat you know do another one and you can you can break all kinds of patterns some people do four 25 minute pomodoros and then they take a short break and then maybe after four they take a long break so what are the supposed benefits It improves focus and helps train your brain to concentrate for short, intense periods.

3:16It reduces, hopefully, procrastination. The short intervals make tasks feel less overwhelming. Look, I only have to do this for 25 minutes or whatever you pick. It does encourage rest. Frequent breaks often prevent burnout, and that keeps your mind fresh. And then, hopefully, it boosts productivity by managing time in chunks. so that you work smarter, not harder. So if you have had problems with staying focused, staying on task, being distracted, give this a try. So you can end up using all kinds of methods to actually time this. If you go on to Amazon, there is one that I ended up getting just because I wanted to give it a run, and it was called Printer's Jack Pomodoro Timer.

4:09That was the most expensive at$35.99. You can get ones that are a lot cheaper. And basically, you set a timer. It dings at the end of the timer. It gives you a rest period and lets you track that. So if you're struggling with that, I would encourage you to give that a run. The second thing I wanted to talk to you about is I've talked to a lot of people who were, not a lot of people, but some people that I mentor that were down in the dumps. And perception truly is reality. And in a couple of those cases, they were depressed about how they had progressed or how they didn't progress or what their current situation was.

4:51Oftentimes, the current situation was far better than most of the people I mentor. So I would encourage you a couple times a day, morning and night is best, just write down three things you're grateful for. This morning in Maine, it was about nine degrees. I'm pretty grateful that I have a roof over my head and that many people don't and are homeless, that you know how to do business acquisition, presumably. You've learned that. If you're working with me, that the relationship is good and it's helping you progress more quickly, I don't know the things you should be grateful for, maybe your family, on and on.

5:32But write those things down. Take a few minutes, five minutes to think about it in the morning and night. And just that process will help you. For most people, being in good health is something you ought to be grateful for because those people that are not, if you don't have your health, there's not much else that you're going to have. So I would encourage you to think about that. So try the Pomodoro method, get a timer if you want to do it, and use it that. And then remember to spend the time to be grateful for what you have. And then beyond that, set your goals, drill those down to affirmations, drill those down to a plan for the quarter, the month, the day, and then use an Ivy Lee method or something like that, where you plan the activities you're going to do the next day that will move you quickest towards the goal line and make those a priority to work on.

6:28I hope that helps as you get into 2025. Certainly reach out to me if you're interested in coaching, and we can certainly talk about that. Bruce at bruswipple.com. So I hope that 2025 turns out to be your best year, and it can be, I believe, if you put in the work to make it that.