{"id":6021,"date":"2017-09-13T11:44:02","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T11:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-mondaycomblog.kinsta.cloud\/?p=6021"},"modified":"2024-12-22T11:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T11:04:51","slug":"tried-pomodoro-technique-productivity-hack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monday.com\/blog\/productivity\/tried-pomodoro-technique-productivity-hack\/","title":{"rendered":"We tried it: The Pomodoro Technique (productivity hack)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have a productivity hack that\u2019s changed your life? Or did you try one that epically failed? We\u2019re all about working smarter<\/a> and achieving better results as a team. We thought it would be fun to experiment with different productivity systems to see if they really live up to the hype. When the famous Pomodoro technique came up in conversation, we knew it was the first one we had to try.<\/p>\n

Try monday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the Pomodoro technique?<\/h2>\n

\"pomodoro First, a little bit about our office environment: we work in an open space and sit at desks in groups of six. There\u2019s a lot of noise: music, loud conversations, and even drilling and construction, since we just moved into a new office. If you need to discuss something with someone, it\u2019s generally fair game to just pop by their desk unannounced (and yes, in essence, interrupt whatever it is they\u2019re working on.) The result is a very informal, fast-paced, and collaborative environment. It\u2019s fun and exciting and high-energy. The downside is that there are a lot of distractions. It\u2019s in this environment that we tried the Pomodoro technique.<\/p>\n

What happened:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Attempt #1: Epic fail<\/h2>\n

Around 10:30am on a Monday, we decided on our Pomodoro tasks. We set the timer and got started. No less than 45 seconds later, two different people simultaneously walked over to discuss separate work projects. We tried to wave them away and hissed, \u201c<\/em>We just started a Pomodoro!<\/em>\u201d<\/em> but they looked at us like we were crazy and also possibly a little rude. So we apologized, explained what we were doing, and the Pomodoro was over before it had even started. Womp womp womp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Attempt #2: Moderate Success<\/h2>\n

We realized there was no way it was going to work sitting at our desks. We had to hide<\/em><\/strong> from our coworkers. So we brought our laptops to a small conference room on the other side of the office and sequestered ourselves there. After reviewing the technique again in detail, we set the timer, and got to work. This attempt was much more successful. We plugged in our headphones\u2014\u201cIs music allowed?\u201d Leah asked. (Yes, we think so? Unclear according to the official Pomodoro rules) and worked in total silence for 24 minutes and 15 seconds until we were interrupted again. This time, by our CEO, Roy Man<\/a>. \u201cHey. What\u2019s up?\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re trying to be productive. You just interrupted us. We had 45 seconds left.\u201d He shrugged and we chatted for awhile. By the time he left, we were starting to get hungry, and we had to make arrangements about what to order in for lunch<\/a>. Our \u201cfive-minute break\u201d had spiraled completely out of control, but we weren\u2019t ready to give up. We got a snack, went to the bathroom, and committed to another good 25-minute session. \"pomodoro This second Pomodoro went really well, aside from another tiny interruption from Roy who poked his head in to say, \u201cJust want to give you good material for your blog post!\u201d (Wink.) We all felt like we had gotten into a groove and were super focused when the timer went off. If anything, we wished it had lasted longer than 25 minutes. All in all, we completed two Pomodoros and completed some tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n