Time Management

A while back, when I was still writing my dissertation, I was having a lot of trouble keeping focused on writing. I wrote a qualitative dissertation, so I knew it would be quite a lengthy dissertation, requiring many hours at the keyboard. I became easily overwhelmed at a seemingly endless task, wondering if I would ever finish. I arranged for a consultation with a dissertation coach, who mentioned the Pomodoro Technique. This technique saved my academic life and provided an easy way to create time management. Some of you may have already heard of this technique (especially with writing a dissertation), or used it previously.

For those of you unfamiliar, let me divulge the secrets of this technique that can make it an invaluable tool for completing large tasks, like I am now using for studying for the EPPP. The Pomodoro Technique is using 25 minute blocks of time (or whatever you decide) where you work non-stop, no distractions, until the buzzer rings. After the 25 minute block is up (called a "pomodoro" or "tomato" in English), you take a 5 minute break. You document what you have completed during that tomato, and after the 5 minute break, you go back to work for another 25 minute block and repeat the break and recording the task(s) completed. After 4 tomatoes, it is suggested you take a longer break (15-30 minutes). If you get distracted during a tomato and cannot focus on completing the task(s), the tomato is "squashed" and doesn't count. If you do get distracted during a tomato, it's recommended to write down tasks you are thinking about on a to-do list and come back to it following the tomato.

Now, not only does this insure that you will not exhaust yourself by not taking appropriate study breaks, but this also teaches you how much work you complete on average with each tomato, which makes it much easier to plan a study schedule, for example. After I began studying the past week, I have learned when going through Academic Review's study guides, I found that it took me about 20 tomatoes to get through one subject book. While not all books are the same length, it's likely that it will take me a similar amount for the rest of the books, which means I can plan out my study schedule appropriately to go through all of the study books in the timeline desired.

I know this doesn't work for everyone's study style, but this has been a great technique for many people in providing structure, discipline, and planning abilities. You can download the free ebook or just your basic cheat sheet, along with to-do lists and recording sheets here. If you would rather time and record your tomatoes online, you can use mytomatoes.com or there are tons of phone apps out there for the pomodoro technique. A lot of times its fun to keep track of how many tomatoes you complete for the day, and can be helpful to someone with a competitive personality. So, if you find yourself having trouble keeping focused and/or maintaining a good study schedule, consider giving this technique a try.