Do you feel that, despite the time you dedicate to studying something, you are not progressing fast enough? However, in many cases, less is more. That is, it is more beneficial to dedicate a limited amount of time to a task, but concentrating on it fully, than to allocate the entire day to that same goal by paying attention to all the interruptions that arise. This optimization of time is what the Pomodoro method proposes in studying, a technique to be more efficient in any goal you set for yourself , both in your academic and professional life. And, nowadays, people are constantly threatened by what is known as “time thieves” . The cell phone that vibrates, the call that rings, the colleague that enters the room and says hello, the email that appears in the inbox... This causes you to continually shift your attention from one topic to another and, consequently, , reducing your performance. While it may seem like you are just wasting a few seconds on these distractions, the truth is that it is far from reality.
In fact, did you know that, every time you change your focus from one activity to another, even if it's looking at who just sent you a new WhatsApp, you need an average of 120 seconds - that is, two minutes - to concentrate 100 again % on what you were doing? In this sense, according to the report Multitasking: Switching costs , from the American Psychological Association, multitasking can reduce productivity and efficiency by up to 40%. CTA Post What is the Pomodoro Europe Mobile Number List method? This time management problem is what Francesco Cirillo, a young Italian university student, suffered from. Tired of procrastinating, he developed this effective technique to improve concentration and maximize results . Thus, at the end of the 80s, he created the Pomodoro method for studying, although its simplicity and usefulness make it extensible to any professional field. The mechanism is simple. It involves dividing your time into 25-minute intervals called "pomodoros." During this time, you should only focus on a single task, and then you can take a five-minute break.
Repeat this cycle until you complete four "pomodoros" and then take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. How effective is the Pomodoro method? Research has shown that, thanks to this technique, you can be completely focused on a single mission, which allows you to make the most of your time and avoid mistakes by eliminating any distractions from your environment. At the same time, you can make the most of your brain's peak performance through controlled study intervals. Keep in mind that people's ability to concentrate can be maintained for an average of 45-50 minutes; After this time, your productivity plummets. On the other hand, do not forget that, as Parkinson's Law establishes, “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Thus, the fact of feeling “timed” makes you faster in your learning , since you better calculate the real dedication that each task requires. In addition, applying the Pomodoro method in your study will also bring you benefits on an emotional level. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2019 found that the Pomodoro Method can also help reduce stress and mental fatigue associated with prolonged studying , as well as improve students' sleep quality.