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Pomodoro Timer

pomofocus.io

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Re: Pomodoro Timer

#61

Post by satvikpendem »

I use this daily even as I myself am making my own Pomodoro style app, it's a case of me procrastinating shipping my product so I tearfully use someone else's instead in the meantime (there's a good blog post about this by Kitze, with HN discussion [0]). My product [1] basically solves a lot of the issues I have with regular pomodoro timers, such as that the work and break times are rigid between tasks and you can't add or subtract time; that you can't export the times as a PDF or CSV to send to clients if you're freelancing and billing by the hour; that you can't organize tasks in a calendar-like format, et cetera.

But until I build that, I'll have to continue using Pomofocus. It has a great free plan, I wonder how much money the founder makes from a B2C product.

Also, something I learned recently was that Pomodoro is trademarked, which is why you see most timers riffing on the name otherwise calling it something else.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31352108

[1] https://getartemis.app

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#63

Post by f_allwein »

wpietri wrote: post #50
f_allwein wrote: post #32

From my experience, the key feature for a pomodoro timer is that breaks should start automatically, whereas the next pomodoro should not. This way, even if you took a 6 minute break, you can have the full pomodoro. Plus, I prefer starting the focused work with a deliberate action (click). Quite a lot of timers I tried, however, cannot do that. Great that this is possible here (settings)!

Why should either one start automatically? The one I'm using is manual in both cases, and that seems fine to me. Sometimes if I'm in the middle of something I go longer. That's good by me, as for me pomodoros are more about overcoming resistance to starting/continuing.

true, that is a good point. I should give it a try =)

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#64

Post by quitit »

nmca wrote: post #41

Some folks seem to think the benefit of pomos is the focus time. When I used them, it was the breaks. Stopping every twenty five minutes and asking "is this the right thing to be doing now" was invaluable.

Stopping exactly when it says is key for me, it's easier to go back to something that is in progress rather than returning to something that isn't already in my mind.

I also prefer a physical timer, there is something nice about it being a separate tangible item that's not a window on the very work space that I'm using.

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#65

Post by galleywest200 »

ericpauley wrote: post #13
Brajeshwar wrote: post #10

I have tried quite a few Pomodoro app and they are all good. Remember, it is OK to find your own time-break cycle and not stick to the standard Pomodoro. I'm more comfortable with a 50-10 cycle (50-min, then 10 for break). I don't care about the Pomodoro count or how many per day. If you are working at home, I found that cheap mechanical kitchen timers are great. These days, I'm experimenting with an oversize hourgla…

I really like this idea. It does seem odd to stop working if you're in the zone just because some timer went off. Better for the timer to be a minimum, rather than a hard maximum.

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.”

― Ernest Hemingway

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#66

Post by creakingstairs »

I've been using iOS's built in timer that stops whatever is playing in x min as a custom "pomodoro". Music helps me get into flow state and later when it is time for me to take a break, it stops playing to gently remind me. Unlike alarms, it doesn't break my flow state. Afterwards I write down how long I've worked.

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#68

Post by escapedmoose »

subtra3t wrote: post #7

I know that some people swear by Pomodoro, but personally when I get in the "zone" for doing something, I find that taking a break, however small it may be, ruins my focus.

I find that it’s often helpful to break focus. Sometimes you can get so deep and involved in a problem that tunnel vision starts blocking you from seeing better solutions. Or, you can have a good several hours of focus but ruin yourself for the next day or so by neglecting your smaller admin tasks or your body. As others in this thread have said, the key is finding your personal best ratio of focus vs breaks.

I find that it varies between tasks, e.g. if I’m executing on a pre-designed dev plan I might give myself a 2-hour timer to really dig in. But if I’m brainstorming possible methods to solve a problem I’ll give myself 30 min at a time to make sure I don’t get sucked too far into any one rabbithole (plus those breaks trigger some lovely epiphanies). Or for mindless admin tasks it helps to just set 10 min of focus time so I’m not overwhelmed.

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#69

Post by claudiawerner »

nmca wrote: post #41

Some folks seem to think the benefit of pomos is the focus time. When I used them, it was the breaks. Stopping every twenty five minutes and asking "is this the right thing to be doing now" was invaluable.

I don't really understand Pomodoro. When I'm at work, I'm constantly confronted by things not working (the dev environment) and using tools others wrote in an ad-hoc way. Any focus time is almost half spent diagnosing issues with the software. I don't do any deep work, because I spend my time writing tests (thanks boss!) and then getting those tests to work. It just feels so unfulfilling, that I don't want to sit there for three minutes to wait for the tests to compile doing nothing, I'd rather at least browse HN.

Re: Pomodoro Timer

#70

Post by cratermoon »

maccard wrote: post #49
ericpauley wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really like this idea. It does seem odd to stop working if you're in the zone just because some timer went off. Better for the timer to be a minimum, rather than a hard maximum.

It depends on what you want to achieve. If you just want to hit focus then setting a 15 minute timer and ignoring it will likely do it. I find significant value in the breaks - I use them to take a walk/grab coffee for my desk, and feel that those regular little breaks are enough that I can keep the pace for an entire day, day on day.

The breaks are really the key. At first it might seem wrong to stop when in the middle of something, but making a habit of jotting down a quick status note when the time is up makes it possible to pick up the threads again for the next round. A 5 minute break won't completely break a train of thought, but it will push it to a different cognitive level. Often the result is better than pushing through on the same problem without stopping.

On the rare occasion I'm genuinely in deep flow, I can ignore the timer, but I don't do that very often. The rest time – proper, deliberate, undistracted rest – improves overall focus and productivity. https://maxfrenzel.medium.com/in-praise-of-deep-work-full-di...

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