This speech is adapted from a 2023 speech in the Visionary Communication pathway delivered by the author at a Toastmasters club in Florida.
My coworker Chuck asked me in 2014, “how do you eat an elephant?”
“How?” I asked.
“One bite at a time.”
Little did I know that it was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received.
I took his advice to heart. It was around this time that I found out about the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool where you work on your to-do list in 25-minute increments. You can also use it to break down large projects, assigning a pomodoro or pomodoros to a deliverable or milestone. It makes large projects less daunting. It also is a strategy to be more intentional with your day.
So I ask you the question, how do you want to spend the next 25 minutes?
I will talk about the method, how I use it, and how it has changed my life.
The method is you write out your to-do list. Some websites have cute little worksheets you can download and print out, which I’ve done in the past. But all you need is a pen or paper. You could do this digitally, but I find the 1900s method to be the most effective. It doesn’t have to be fancy.
For those who prefer to digital pixels to pens, OmniFocus and Apple Reminders are two apps that can help you out as well. https://pomofocus.io/ has timers and fields to add your to-do list. I will reference another app I use very soon.
The cool thing about it is that you can customize the system to your needs. Need a five-minute break after every Pomodoro session? Go for it.
After two consecutive pomodoros, you can do 10- or 15-minute break.
You break down your list in what you can do in 25 minutes. Err on the side of including more so when you are done with a task quickly, let’s say a quick chore, you can seamlessly move to the next task within that Pomodoro so you don’t have to exert additional energy in answering the question, “what else do I have to do again?”
Because I like to be extra, I log all my Pomodoros in a spreadsheet I created in 2020. Capricorns be extra like that sometimes.
I also use an app called Focus Tomato which works as a timer. It also has ambient sounds such as coffee shop, train station, streams, and rainfall, bonfire, library. It also has timers for breaks and it provides inspirational quotes at the end of each Pomodoro, such as “a young idler, an old beggar.”
Plus, the aesthetic is chef’s kiss. It features hand-drawn graphics. Grey and creams. It gives Victoria era steampunk.
Depending on the tasks, I listen to music or podcasts.
There also is a website called “FocusMate” that functions like an accountability buddy tool. It’s like Zoom but for the Pomodoro Technique. Look it up!
The Pomodoro Technique has provided me with so much focus since I started practicing it in 2014. I now look at my time in 30-minute chunks. 10 years later, with social media and other distractions, it has continued to ground me. It also has helped me with project planning. I can tell you how many pomodoros it takes me to perform a certain task and projects. It has made projects less intimidating.
The Pomodoro Technique has helped me with my concentration. I also see the Pomodoro Technique as a filter to protect my energy. An antidote to doom scrolling.
The Pomodoro Technique is an easy-to-follow & intuitive system to help manage the volume of items on your to-do list. Eat that elephant one bite at a time. Eat that elephant – one pomodoro at a time. (To be clear, I don’t advocate to literally eat an elephant. It’s a metaphor.)
In closing, I ask you again, “How do you want to spend the next 25 minutes?”