Right. Confession time.
I have, on more than one occasion, sat down at my desk at 9am with a fresh cup of tea, opened BOB (aka VS Code on speed) to “quickly fix one little bug”, and looked up to find it’s dark outside. The tea is cold, a skin has formed on it that could be used as a trampoline, and the bug is still there, smirking at me. Meanwhile I’ve read fourteen Stack Overflow threads, two IBM Redbooks and a Reddit argument about whether tabs or spaces are morally superior. (Spaces. Obviously. Fight me.)
If that sounds familiar, pull up a chair. Let me introduce you to a small red vegetable (fine, it’s technically a fruit) that changed the way I work. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique, and it’s annoyingly simple.
What Is the Pomodoro Technique?
Back in the late 1980s, an Italian university student called Francesco Cirillo was struggling to focus on his studies. So, like any sensible person, he grabbed the nearest kitchen timer and challenged himself to concentrate for just a few minutes without getting distracted.
That timer happened to be shaped like a tomato, and pomodoro is Italian for tomato. A productivity method was born, and Italian kitchens everywhere got a bit of unexpected fame.
Here’s how it works:
- Pick a task. One task. Not seven.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on that task, and only that task.
- When the timer rings, take a 5-minute break. Stand up. Stretch. Make tea (mandatory in my house).
- Repeat. Each 25-minute block is one “pomodoro”.
- After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
That’s it. No subscription, no app with a monthly fee, no seventeen-step onboarding wizard. A timer and a bit of self-discipline. Mostly the timer, if I’m honest.
Why It Actually Works
I was sceptical. I’m English, so being sceptical is basically my national sport. But after a few weeks I had to admit the tomato was onto something.
1. Better Focus
Twenty-five minutes is short enough that your brain doesn’t panic. You’re not committing to “write the whole module today”. You’re committing to 25 minutes. Anyone can do 25 minutes. Even me, and I get distracted by a seagull outside my window here on the Costa Blanca.
Knowing a break is coming makes it much easier to ignore email, Teams, WhatsApp and that tempting little YouTube notification. Even if it’s from nicklittentech. Watch it later. During your break. Like a grown-up.
2. Less Mental Fatigue
Programmers often treat their brains like an IBM Power server: switch it on and expect it to run 24/7 without complaint. Sadly, your brain doesn’t have redundant power supplies or hot-swappable drives.
Short, regular breaks stop that foggy, staring-at-the-screen-reading-the-same-line-eight-times feeling. You finish the day tired, but not completely wrung out.
3. Breaks Are Built In
Most of us are terrible at taking breaks. We tell ourselves “I’ll stop once I’ve fixed this”, and then it’s 3pm, we haven’t eaten, and we’re having a disagreement with a subfile.
With Pomodoro, the break isn’t optional. The timer says stop, so you stop. Your back, your eyes and your family will thank you.
4. Realistic Time Estimation
This one surprised me. After tracking pomodoros for a while, you start to learn how long things actually take.
“That change will take ten minutes” becomes “that change took four pomodoros, because of course it did”. Next time your project manager asks how long something will take, you’ll have real data instead of a hopeful guess, and you’ll look far more professional than the rest of us who just say “a couple of days” and pray.
5. Less Procrastination
The hardest part of any job is starting. A big, scary task feels impossible, so we tidy the desk, reorganise our bookmarks and suddenly need to research the history of the AS/400 (fascinating, but not today).
“Just do one pomodoro” is a tiny, harmless commitment. And once you’ve started, you’ll usually keep going.
6. Measurable Progress
At the end of the day you can count your pomodoros. “I did ten solid blocks of focused work” feels a lot better than “I was busy all day but I’m not sure what I actually did”.
Put a little tick on a notepad for each one. It’s oddly satisfying, like collecting stamps, but nerdier.
Using Pomodoro as a Developer
Software development is where this technique really earns its keep. Here’s how I use it.
Coding Sessions
Before you start the timer, decide what “done” looks like for this pomodoro. Not “build the order system”, but “write the procedure that validates the customer number”. Small, specific and achievable in 25 minutes.
If you finish early, use the leftover time to tidy up, add comments, or write a quick test. If you don’t finish, no problem. That’s what the next pomodoro is for.
Debugging
Debugging is the natural home of the rabbit hole. You start looking at a decimal data error and three hours later you’re reading the history of packed decimal on System/38.
Give each debugging idea a pomodoro. When the timer rings, stop and ask yourself honestly: “Am I closer to the answer than I was 25 minutes ago?”
If the answer is no, change your approach. Add more logging, ask a colleague, explain it to a rubber duck, or explain it to your cat (mine is an excellent listener, if a little judgemental). The break itself often helps. I can’t count the times I’ve solved a bug while waiting for the kettle to boil.
Documentation
Let’s be honest, nobody loves writing documentation. It’s the vegetable side dish of programming. Ironic, given we’re talking about tomatoes.
But one pomodoro of documentation is bearable. Make it a habit: finish a feature, then do one pomodoro of docs. Future you, the poor soul who has to maintain this code in five years, will be very grateful.
Avoiding Endless Rabbit Holes
This is the big one. Developers are curious creatures. We see something interesting and have to investigate. That’s a great quality, right up until it eats your whole afternoon.
The timer is your safety net. Every 25 minutes you’re forced to come up for air and check you’re still working on the thing you’re supposed to be working on. If you find something fascinating but irrelevant, write it on a “later” list and get back to work.
A Few Practical Tips
- Protect your pomodoro. Notifications off, phone face down, email closed. If someone interrupts, note it and get back to it, or politely tell them you’ll be with them in 12 minutes.
- Your break is a break. Scrolling social media doesn’t count. Get up and move. Look out of the window. Stand on the balcony and enjoy the sunshine while my friends back in the UK enjoy their drizzle (sorry, not sorry).
- Adjust the times if you need to. Twenty-five minutes isn’t sacred. Some people prefer 50 minutes on and 10 off for deep coding work. Try it and see what suits you.
- Any timer will do. A kitchen timer, your phone, or a browser extension all work fine. Though there’s something very satisfying about a proper ticking tomato on the desk.
- Don’t be a slave to it. If you’re in a brilliant flow state when the timer rings, finish your thought, then take your break. The tomato is a tool, not a tyrant.
Conclusion
The Pomodoro Technique won’t magically turn you into a 10x developer. It won’t fix your legacy code, it won’t make your users write sensible requirements, and it certainly won’t stop the business asking for “just one small change” at 4:55pm on a Friday.
But it will help you focus, take proper breaks, understand how long things really take, and avoid getting lost in yet another rabbit hole.
Not bad for a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato.
So give it a go. Set a timer for 25 minutes and tackle that task you’ve been avoiding. Then put the kettle on. You’ve earned it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, my timer has just rung, and my tea isn’t going to make itself.
Cheers,
Nick
P.S. If you’d like to see more practical tips for developers (and the occasional rant), pop over to my YouTube channel nicklittentech. Ideally during a break, obviously.
