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Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

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Re: Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

#31

Post by muzani »

It worked great for me at times, but after too long, it gives me anxiety and makes things worse. The 5 mins is too short to rest from doing real work. The 25 mins jerk me out of flow. I end up procrastinating on starting the timer, because I don't want to deal with being pulled from flow, and I do even less than without the technique.

If you have to try to make it stick, it's not for you. It's either magical or it doesn't work.

It's great for project management purposes though. I use it as a way to charge clients - I charge them per "pomodoro" instead of per hours sitting in front of the computer. And it helps to track how long some jobs take to do.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

#34

Post by istorical »

It's really good for building a work habit up again. If you've been very lazy for a good amount of time and have a hard time brute-forcing the work back, easing into it with pomodoros is helpful. And then you can slowly start to sometimes just ignore the alarm and keep working. Or skip a break. Or change the time.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

#36

Post by undergrowth54 »

ADHD-PI here. I use a version of Pomodoro technique with adaptations inspired by Leadership is Language by David Marquet and by what Prof. Andrew Huberman says about Dopamine.

Blue: Come up with my intended outcome. Set a duration from 10 to 45 minutes in proportion to my intuitive confidence that I am “on the right path”.

If I am spending too long in blue, then say the thing I’m most anxious about. State a hypothesis about it and frame my intended outcome as a test of that hypothesis.

Red: Execute at speed while still noting any surprises in a notebook.

Blue: Reflect on what I’ve produced and what I’ve learned. Notice any errors I made and think (without typing) about what led to them.

Green: 2-5 minutes meditation. Reconnect with my breath and body. Control my internal sense of time pressure.

—————————

Sidenote: I highly recommend both Leadership is Language and the Huberman Lab podcast to ADHDers and folks who just have struggles turning their intentions into action.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

#38

Post by medstrom »

rawland wrote: post #17

The 25/5-ratio is ridiculous. At least for me. Using 50/10 meanwhile because when I used 25/5 I just closed the Pomodoro app to keep going instead of being reminded to make a pause again and again. It felt like snoozing away the wake up alarm all the time. But I didn't want to wake up! 50/10 mins with a warning at 40mins is way better. The 10 minutes usually are used to get something to drink/snack/coffee giving the…

I agree, my default is 32/8, it's a slightly bigger proportion of rest. Actually it's OK if you want even longer rest times. Like 25/15.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

#39

Post by medstrom »

wiml wrote: post #8

I don't think pomodoro is appropriate for all work. Quite a lot of work really wants a 3-4 hour long session (after which I need to eat and move around a little, or I'd stretch it longer). But for some things a 15-20 minute pomodoro session is perfect. (For physical tasks I use podcasts, like pryelluw's Netflix technique. Bonus points if there's a podcast whose release schedule matches how often I have to do a partic…

Thing is, I see 8x25 minute pomodoros as one "uninterrupted" 4-hour work session. The little 5 minutes of rest does not need to get you out of flow, just spend it in a non-stimulating way. Don't go on HN.
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