If you are one of those people who like to keep themselves updated with all the productivity hacks out there, then you must be knowing about this technique called The Pomodoro Technique. Focus Timer is based on the Pomodoro technique itself. In case, you haven’t heard about it and its uses, we have briefly explained it below.
What is a Focus Timer?
Focus timer is a unique way to become productive with your work and get better results in no time. It is based on the famous Pomodoro Technique. Francesco Cirillo, sometime in the late 80s, came up with a time management technique. The technique typically uses a timer for the user to keep track of time and break the time into several intervals (traditionally 25 minutes in length). Each of the intervals, separated by brief brakes (of typically 3-5 minutes). Such intervals called a Pomodoro, Latin word for ‘tomato’. It is named after Cirillo’s tomato-shaped kitchen clock he used as a university student.
Focus Timers are essentially used for time management by a lot of people. It improves productivity by ruling out the scope of distractions and helping the practitioners focus better. Most of the users break down the total time into intervals, followed by a break. These sessions rotate regularly, and after some time the user can take a longer break (usually 30 minutes).
How does it work?
One may use a conventional timer to start with, but it is not the most convenient thing to carry around. You may use our smartphone application called Tranquil Focus which you can download from Google Playstore. It is extremely flexible and easy to use. The following are easy steps to integrate focus timer to your daily life and increase your productivity:
- Download Tranquil Focus from Google Playstore on your smartphone or tablet
- Chose a task or work for the day you aim to finish
- Start the focus timer on Tranquil Focus app
- Select a 25-minute timer (or time of your choice) for your work session
- Entirely focus on your work for the set time
- Immediately stop the work once the alarm bell rings
- Take a 5-minute break (could be a little less or more)
- Go back to work after the break and work another session followed by a break
- After fixed regular cycles (typically 4 cycles), take a 20-30 minutes break
- Keep going with the process until you are done with the task for the day
What to expect from Focus Timer?
There are no objective answers to this question. There are multiple benefits you can possibly accrue from the said technique. Different people realize the importance of using a focus timer in their own ways. But in this blog, we will discuss the most common ways in which focus timer can improve your productivity, or what to expect from it.
1) Regain the control over your time
The Pomodoro technique, in a way, empowers you to have the reign of your running time in your own hands. Additionally, it helps you overcome distractions. Take, for instance, you are in the middle of your Pomodoro session and someone approaches you with some work. In a normal scenario, you would get up from your desk and start helping the other person out, but when in the middle of you would request the person to wait for some minutes until your session ends or negotiate and schedule it to the time when you would be available to help. But, make sure you call that person after 25 minutes and talk.
2) Keeps accountability
Tranquil Focus enables you to track and see everything that you have done so far and the goals you have achieved, in the stats. Keeping the record of your work and productivity will help you be more aware of your productivity and also boost your energy.
3) Improves planning
Since Focus Timers ensure accountability and track all your accomplishments, it gets easier for you to plan things accordingly. This way people will know the areas they are good at and how many sessions it takes them to finish a task.
4) Take care of health
A lot of times long hours of work make us sick, both mentally and physically. A focus timer gives us the right space and time to breathe. We more often than not forget the importance of breaks and just wait for the burnout to happen, and clearly this is not sustainable in any way. Take those 5 minutes for yourself, take a walk, talk to people around, and just unwind.
5) Keeps you motivated
We are so used to work on our biweekly or monthly deadlines that we are barely motivated until the deadline is soon approaching. With focus timer, you are pushed to finish a share of your work in the set time of 25 minutes. The excitement to finish work faster keeps you fully motivated throughout.