Serious question: did the Pomodoro Technique wreck your focus too?

I tried the 25 minute work 5 minute break thing for two weeks straight last March. I felt more scattered than when I just grinded for 3 hours straight. But my buddy in Austin swears it saved his freelance career. Anyone else find that timer systems backfire or is it just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithpatel1d ago

I hear you on feeling more scattered, that happened to me at first too. But honestly for me it wasn't the technique itself, it was that I was checking my phone during the breaks and that killed everything. Once I started using those 5 minutes to just stare at a wall or stretch, it actually clicked.

kimblack1d ago

Three days in, I had the exact same problem. I kept picking up my phone during those 5 minute breaks and then I'd be halfway through a Reddit thread when the timer went off, totally defeating the purpose. Once I started just sitting there and rubbing my eyes or walking to the kitchen for water, everything clicked for me too. It's wild how just not looking at a screen for five minutes can reset your brain that much.

laura_wilson1d ago

My cat started sitting on my keyboard during those 5 minute breaks so I gave up on day two.