Pomodoro Timer

The Pomodoro Timer is a focus clock you attach to a specific action. Set the focus length, the break length, and how many cycles you want, then start it from any action in the app. It runs the whole sequence for you, with an alarm at each change, and it logs the sessions against that action. That logging is worth more than it sounds. When something has been stuck for three weeks, you can see whether it has had two hours of real attention or none at all. Those are different problems with different fixes. The technique is Francesco Cirillo's, developed as a student in the late 1980s. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. His original setting was 25 minutes of focus, five off, and a longer break after four rounds. The rule that makes it work is the one people ignore. During a pomodoro, you do one thing. If something else occurs to you, write it down and carry on. That is what Quick Capture is for. Take the breaks properly too. Working through them defeats the design, and you will be finished by three. Adjust the lengths to suit you. Twenty-five is not sacred. Deciding in advance is.