The pomodoro method

Lerntechniken
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"When you get into the water, you learn to swim."



If you are reading this article, you probably have a problem with which you are not alone, which many other learners also know and share with you from painful experience: procrastination.

What is procrastination anyway? This is understood to mean a mostly undesirable behavior, which is characterized by the fact that tasks are either not done or only after a long time and often too late despite the available opportunities and skills.

Causes of Procrastination

When you think about something that you don't really want to do, the pain center or displeasure center of your brain is activated. The brain tries to stop the negative stimulation, so it turns its attention to something else, anything else, to distract from the acutely existing negative feeling. What is the result? You feel better right away. But at that moment you have already procrastinated, that is, what you wanted and should do, you postponed until a later point in time.

The Pomodoro Technique

There is a tried and tested method to face procrastination, the pomodoro technique. This method will help you fight procrastination.

The Italian Francesco Cirillo discovered this fantastically simple method in the 80s of the last century, which has since spread all over the world. To use Pomodoro, just turn off all distractions, no annoying messages from your cell phone or computer, and then set one Timer to exactly 25 minutes . Then focus on the work to be done as intensely as possible. Try to concentrate on sticking out the 25 minutes at a time.

Disturbing thoughts

We are all human and distracting thoughts will inevitably arisewhen we do a pomodoro session. At the beginning you will feel like most: you have worked your way into a topic with great concentration, you are satisfied with yourself, but you notice that your concentration is already beginning to decline. You look at the timer and notice that only 5 minutes have passed. Your mind is telling you that another 20 minutes at this level is simply not possible. What can you do in this situation? Stop for a moment and admit to yourself that it is okay if you lose focus. But don't give in to your impulse to focus your attention on things that have nothing to do with the actual task at hand. None of us have complete control over our thoughts. The thing is, when you are doing a pomodoro session, you shouldn't try to push those thoughts away or tell yourself to keep these thoughts out of yourself. Instead, acknowledge the distracting thoughts and let them go as you redirect your attention to what got you into that pomodoro session. Focusing on things that have nothing to do with the task at hand. None of us have complete control over our thoughts. The thing is, when you are doing a pomodoro session, you shouldn't try to push those thoughts away or tell yourself to keep these thoughts out of yourself. Instead, acknowledge the distracting thoughts and let them go as you redirect your attention to what got you into that pomodoro session. Focusing on things that have nothing to do with the task at hand. None of us have complete control over our thoughts. The thing is, when you are doing a pomodoro session, you shouldn't try to push those thoughts away or tell yourself to keep these thoughts out of yourself. Instead, acknowledge the distracting thoughts and let them go as you redirect your attention to what got you into that pomodoro session.

Finally, a reward

Amazingly, you will see that 25 minutes fly by when you concentrate on your work. Once the 25 minutes are up, it's time for a reward. Reward yourself with things that are good for you, that relax you. For example, you can listen to one of your favorite songs, watch a funny video on YouTube, treat yourself to a cup of coffee or a milkshake, or chat online with a friend. The idea behind this is to draw your attention to something completely different.

You may feel a little tired after a pomodoro session. Therefore, try to exercise a little during the break before the next Pomodoro session. Your brain can then relax and shut down your mind. This is important because what has previously been learned is only consolidated in this relaxed phase and ultimately stored in long-term memory.

Why exactly 25 minutes?

Many people ask why a pomodoro session lasts exactly 25 minutes? Many thousands of people have worked with the Pomodoro technique in the last few decades and the number is increasing every year. The reason why the method is so popular is that it is not easy for us to start learning and, at least for the first few minutes, we feel a certain discomfort and a certain amount of effort. If we set ourselves 25 minutes to study in a focused and concentrated manner, we will know and accept that we can actually hold out that long. Knowing this makes it easier for us to be motivated to start learning. Of course, one could argue that 15 minutes of learning time would be enough. But it does not. Because from learning psychology we know that it takes about 5 to 10 minutes, especially with complex topics, to even get into the topic. Then you are in the flow and in the remaining 15 minutes you actually manage to stay focused on the topic.

The great thing about the Pomodoro technique is that you don't have to stop studying after 25 minutes. Once you are in the flow, you can of course keep learning until your ability to concentrate declines and the first signs of fatigue appear.

Breaks between Pomodoro sessions

Pomodoro users often want to know how long the breaks between the Pomodoro learning phases should be. 5 to 10 minutesare a time that most people need to switch off and regenerate. However, if you are feeling fit, 5 minutes or less may be enough. If you feel tired and drained because of the heavy fabric, it can be 15 to 25 minutes. A longer break is not recommended, because otherwise you may find it difficult to deal with the material without a new start-up phase. It's like hiking in the mountains. If you take too long breaks, you signal the body to switch to relaxation mode. It is all the more difficult to continue afterwards.

You could now ask yourself whether it makes sense to join another Pomodoro session straight away. It all depends on you. There are numerous apps on the app market that reward you as soon as you have finished a Pomodoro session. Many enjoy collecting these gratuities and are encouraged to use this method regularly.

Many people who are successful at work or at university work with the Pomodoro technique. It is an intelligent method to defeat procrastination and at the same time efficiently and effectively familiarize yourself with new topics.

Summary: Pomodoro in 4 steps

Step 1:

Find a task that you would like to do. Get a brief overview of what exactly you want to learn, in which order you want to proceed, what your learning materials are and how you want to use them.

Step 2:

Set the timer for 25 minutes. Swear that during this time you will devote yourself fully to the task and that you will not be distracted.

Step 3:

Work concentrated and focused on your task by working through the work steps formulated in step # 1 until the timer rings.

Step # 4:

After the end of a Pomodoro session, pause for a moment and check whether what you set out to do worked out to the desired extent. Give yourself a short break of 5 to 10 minutes now. Get moving, have a cup of coffee, and just try to relax a little. During this time, your memory consolidates what you have previously learned. If you are familiar with the Pomodoro technique, you can do at least six to eight Pomodoro sessions a day.

Info: A good trick to memorize learning content is also the unusual challenge of explaining what you have learned to another - real or imaginary - person. For example, when a law student explains the rules of the road traffic regulations to a foreign guest or when a student explains the Pythagorean theorem he has just learned not to his teacher, but to his grandmother.

Memory tricks were already used successfully by the ancient Greeks and Romans to remember the order of the topics in speeches. An elementary principle of learning research is used: if the brain has to deal with the information presented, then it learns best. Most learning techniques work on this principle.




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