Trying to get more done faster? It’s tomato (timer) time!

Which is the most productive fruit?

Well, it turns out to be any sort that’s made into a timer and set to 25 minutes.  Back in the 1980s, Franceso Cirillo discovered that working for 25 minutes before taking a 5 minute break and then working another 25 minute massively increased his concentration.  He used a mechanical tomato-shaped kitchen timer and named the technique he had developed the Pomodoro Technique, after the Italian for “tomato”.

Fast forward nearly 40 years and this technique is being praised as one of the most effective around, beating most modern productivity apps that clamour for your attention, giving the illusion of productivity while diverting your efforts into managing the app more than your work.  And yet, with the wonders of modern technology, there are now websites that offer the simplicity of the traditional tomato timer at the click of a button.

There is now an official Pomodoro Technique website.

Try the Pomodoro Technique for yourself

If you are not excited by the thought of buying a kitchen timer, any of the following websites will get you managing your time in no time.  Just pick one you like and away you go!

• Tomato Timer
• Tomato Timers
• Pomodoro Tracker
• Marinara Timer – offers more custom functions; choose left-hand button for the Pomodoro Timer
• Pomo Focus

Image credit: “Timer de Cozinha em forma de Tomate” by mlpeixoto is licensed under CC BY 2.0