Yes, I know it’s supposed to be “One POTATO, two POTATO” and so on. Kids in Delaware aren’t that weird. I did learn the right way to determine who is out.
But in my world, tomatoes are more useful.
To be specific: Pomodoros help me conquer the dreaded writer’s procrastination. And I think it might help you, too. Now, I hear you asking, “What the heck is a Pomodoro?”
It’s a technique developed by Italian Francesco Cirillo, and it’s easy to use. First, you choose a large task, like drafting a novel, and figure out how long it may take to do that task. You may have to re-chunk into smaller bits. Currently, I commit to 2.5 hours of writing a day.
Next, you choose a block of time, typically 25 minutes. During that time, you commit to doing just ONE task, like writing or outlining or marketing, whatever mountain you need to climb.
The typical symbol for the Pomodoro Technique is a tomato. In fact, it is the Italian word for tomato. (Hence, my title.) Why did Cirillo choose that? Beats me. But I can tell you one thing. It works.
When I am dreading writing–for whatever reason–I tell myself, “It’s just 25 minutes. Heck, I can do anything for 25 minutes.” (Y’all, I was a teacher. It’s not until the one hour mark that it starts to feel overwhelming. 25 minutes is easy peasy.)
I set my timer and away I go. The trick is to STAY FOCUSED. No distractions, no social media, no child demanding a snack. (Okay, that might be hard to ignore, but if they’re old enough, bribe them with an episode of Scooby-Doo, Blue’s Clues, whatever their jam is. They’re usually 30 minutes.) I even have an app that blocks social media for me. How cool is that? And it was free.
You can track Pomodoros manually using a kitchen timer and a piece of paper. I even found planner stickers and printable on Etsy, if that’s more appealing to you.
This technique is intuitive. Before I found the “official” version, I set the timer on my Fitbit for 20 minutes and worked until the timer buzzed. I prefer the app because it tracks how much I have done (or not done), and it sends me reminders, not that I need them. But, it DOES let me look at my phone and have a ready made excuse to get home and write.
After 25 minutes, I get a five minute break, then I begin another 25 minute session. After 4 Pomodoros, I take a longer break, 15 to 20 minutes.
Do I always get all 2.5 hours in? No, but I usually get something done. And a word at a time builds a novel or poem or blog post.
Give it a try.
(P. S. This blog post took 2 Pomodoros to write, polish, and edit.)
D. S. Dehel 
I think this is a pretty solid idea. In some ways, to avoid pressuring myself, I adopted a system of “the goal is to spend X minutes/hours on writing” (with the option to take breaks as necessary), but I think there may also be merit in adding an element of “after X minutes, take a short break, even if I don’t feel I need to.”
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Agreed. I often have a mental bribe for myself, too. I’ll get a piece of chocolate or visit my favorite site as well.
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Great technique đŸ™‚ I love breaking tasks down into smaller chunks but never considered timing each task before!
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I love your writing strategy to help you push through the procrastination. Love the tomato!
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Great post, Dawn. I love the tomato method. I also use a timer when I’m drafting. For me it’s 20 mins in the chair and 20 mins to do my other chores. I’m glad you shared this post!
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This is such great advice! Which app do you use? I looked on the Google Play store and found a few different ones. Any particular recommendation?
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I use the free version of “Focus to Do” or my Fitbit if I’mnot near my phone. It had decent ratings.
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I always said breaking down a goal makes it easier to achieve. Need I add that I love this approach. đŸ™‚
Anna from elements of emaginette
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I tend not to use the Pomodoro method, although I have heard of it before. My problem is making a start. Once I start, I usually find it easy to keep going, so my technique is to make a start on something I don’t want to do, and give myself permission to finish after five minutes (yes, the mental bribe thing). If I have permission to stop, then I usually don’t because I’m in the flow by the time five minutes has passed.
Weird, I know. But it works for me đŸ™‚
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It’s not so very different, and I am often like you about starting.
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I almost thought we were about to get a delicious recipe, but I love the timer, too! I’ve used my phone as a Pomodoro in the past, but I never really stuck to it. If I ever get back into nanowrimo mode, I’m for sure bringing this trick back into my routine. I also love that you told us how many Pomodoros the blog post took to write and edit. Very cute. đŸ™‚
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That was interesting. I’ve never heard of that. I like it especially because it makes you stand up, walk around, regenerate.
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I’ve been a big fan of the Pomodoro method for a while now! It’s great for things like word sprints that people do collectively on Twitter.
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