The Pomodoro Technique is one of my favorite
techniques to fight procrastination and maintain
focus and productivity throughout the day.
Stay tuned for tips on how to incorporate
this into your study routine.
What's going on guys!
This is Jay from MedSchoolInsiders.com.
First, I want to talk to you a little bit
about the history of the Pomodoro Technique.
So, it was invented back in the early 1990s
by Francesco Cirillo, I don't know if I'm
pronouncing that right.
He named it the Pomodoro Technique after the
tomato shaped timer that he used to actually
track his work as a university student.
Since then, this technique has gained much
popularity in various productivity and self-improvement
circles.
So the theory behind it is that any large
task or any series of tasks can be broken
down into short timed intervals called Pomodoro's.
Each is separated by a short break.
This takes advantage of the fact that our
brains have limited attention spans.
So, as to how to use it, the only item you
really need is a timer.
You can go old-fashioned or use your phone
or computer with an app.
My favorite app is called 30/30 on the iPhone.
It's my favorite because of its clean interface
and customizability thus making it easy to
do the traditional Pomodoro or customize it
to your liking.
More on that in a little bit.
So first, choose a task or series of tasks
that you need to accomplish.
Next, set the timer to 25 minutes.
Continue to work on the task until the timer
goes off.
Avoid constantly checking the timer.
Once the timer goes off, take a short break
for five minutes.
Get up during this time, do not take the break
at the same spot that you were working.
I personally like getting up, holding a third-world
squat, stretching, moving around.
And that was also the time to use the bathroom
and grab a refill for your water.
After four Pomodoro cycles, take a longer
break of 20 minutes.
Rinse and repeat.
Distractions: during your Pomodoro cycles,
do your best to limit distractions.
The whole point is 25 minutes of intense focus.
Don't be checking Facebook or reddit or the
Med School Insiders website on and off.
Focus on the task at hand.
So I personally put my phone on either airplane
mode or do not disturb mode.
But be careful because 'do not disturb' mode
can actually affect the notifications on your
timer app if you are using your smartphone
app.
If someone else comes knocking for help, use
the inform, negotiate, callback strategy which
was suggested by Francesco Cirillo himself.
So, informed the distracting party that you're
in the middle of something, negotiate a time
when you can get back to them and call back
when you're Pomodoro is complete and you're
ready to address their need.
When to use it: I only found out about the
technique in medical school and if you've
checked my first video ever, link above right
here, then you'll know that it is one of the
key strategies that I wish I started using
as an undergrad in college.
So, I often use this when I can't get myself
motivated to study for a subject that is either
particularly dull or boring.
So anyways, I get my Pomodoro app started
and I tell myself I just need to do one cycle
of 25 minutes.
By making this commitment small, to just do
a small amount of work, it's easier to get
started.
And once I finish that cycle, it always feels
less daunting as I've built momentum.
At this time, it's usually not a problem to
keep moving forward with my work.
I've also found it useful for reading textbook
chapters, going through my on key deck and
getting started on background reading for
research projects.
Remember though that, Pomodoro is ultimately
a productivity system to serve you, therefore
don't feel obligated to always take a break
if you're in the groove.
For longer days where you'll be studying for
most of the day such as the day before a final
exam, I recommend you do take breaks as this
sustains your stamina and prevents burnout.
Sometimes though it's best to just keep chugging
along once you've built momentum.
I often stop the Pomodoro app and continue
my work without breaks when I'm either reviewing
lectures or doing research data analysis and
writing.
So, with reviewing lectures, I generally review
one lecture, take a brief break after finishing
the lecture and then move to the next.
These breaks feel more natural to me than
taking time breaks, but as always, figure
out what works best for you.
So going on to research.
While Pomodoro has been conducive to background
research reading for myself, I find that the
writing and the analysis part of research
requires prolonged periods of concentration
and therefore I prefer to not take the break
after 25 minutes.
At this time, I either modify my Pomodoro
or I just go for long stretches without taking
a break.
So then, going on to modifications; again,
because Pomodoro is a template to help you
increase your productivity, you may want to
actually alter the timing scheme.
So, for some tasks, it may be best to alter
the timing intervals from a 25 5 minute allocation,
which is the default, to something like a
50/10.
I've used the 50/10 minute intervals with
good results.
Figure out what works best for you.
You can change it up however you please.
Again, the 30/30 app allows for flexibility
in this regard and has a great interface.
Alright guys, that is it for this video.
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