The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique (The Pomodoro)
by Francesco Cirillo

The Pomodoro Technique

II

Author: Francesco Cirillo
Date of publication v1.0: 19 October 2006
Date of publication v1.3: 15 June 2007
Date of translation: 15 June 2007
The information contained in this text has been verified and documented as carefully as
possible. Neither the author nor any other person or companyinvolved in the creation,
production, and distribution of this paper can be held liable for the use of its contents.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative
Works 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, SanFrancisco,
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All brands cited in this text are the property of their owners.

© Francesco Cirillo

19/10/2006

The Pomodoro Technique

III

Table of Contents
PREFACE ..................................................................................................................... VACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................. V
INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1
1

THE CONTEXT .....................................................................................................3

1.1

Goals of the PomodoroTechnique......................................................................................3

1.2

Basic Assumptions.............................................................................................................. ..4

2

MATERIAL AND METHOD ...................................................................................5

2.1
Objective I: Find Out How Much Effort an Activity Requires........................................6
2.1.1
Start theFirst Pomodoro....................................................................................................6
2.1.2
Every Four Pomodoros......................................................................................................7
2.1.3
Completing an Activity .....................................................................................................7
2.1.4Recording ...................................................................................................................... ....8
2.1.5
Improvement .....................................................................................................................8
2.1.6
The Nature of the Pomodoro.............................................................................................9
2.2
Objective II: Cut Down on Interruptions...........................................................................9
2.2.1
Internal Interruptions – We Interrupt Ourselves................................................................9
2.2.2
Scenario ....................................................................................................................... ....102.2.3
External Interruptions – We’re Interrupted by Others.....................................................13
2.2.4
Systematic Interruptions ..................................................................................................14
2.2.5
Recording: Qualitative Estimation Errors in Planning ....................................................14
2.3
Objective III: Estimatethe Effort for Activities..............................................................15
2.3.1
Available Pomodoros ......................................................................................................16
2.3.2
Possible Scenarios ...........................................................................................................16
2.3.3
Recording Estimates...