The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student.
Six steps in the technique:
1. Decide on the task to be done.
2. Set the pomodoro timer (traditionally to 25 minutes)
3. Work on the task.
4. End work when the timer rings and put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
5. If you have fewer than four checkmarks, take a short break (3–5 minutes), then go to step 2.
6. After four pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your checkmark count to zero, then go to step 1.
The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique. In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a "To Do Today" list. This enables users to estimate the effort tasks require. As pomodoros are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement.
For the purposes of the technique, a pomodoro is the interval of time spent working. After task completion, any time remaining in the Pomodoro is devoted to overlearning. Regular breaks are taken, aiding assimilation. A short (3–5 minutes) rest separates consecutive pomodoros. Four pomodoros form a set. A longer (15–30 minute) rest is taken between sets. The goal is to reduce the impact of internal and external interruptions on focus and flow. A pomodoro is indivisible; when interrupted during a pomodoro, either the other activity must be recorded and postponed (inform – negotiate – schedule – call back) or the pomodoro must be abandoned.
The pomodoro technique has been widely popularized by dozens of apps and websites providing timers and instructions. Closely related to concepts such as timeboxing and iterative and incremental development used in software design, the method has been adopted in pair programming contexts to make Pomodoro Apps.
To compile the top list of Pomodoro timer apps, we narrowed down using the following criteria: Special features (beyond just timing your pomodoros), Professional use (at work, do pomodoros with your team), Cost (free, free plan, free trial or premium version),Easy of use (run with your new tool from day one quickly and smoothly). The following are the top Pomodoro timer apps to consider.
PomoDoneApp supports native integrations with popular task management tools: Trello, Wunderlist, Asana, Basecamp, Todoist, and more. It imports existing tasks from any connected apps, and it also lets you transfer tasks created directly in PomoDoneApp back to your task management tool or you can create new tasks as you start timers.
It comes with a lot of advanced features because of its ability to connect with so many 3rd party apps and these are only available in the Pro version. Pomodone is better suited for enterprise users who are working in a team-based environment and need to collaborate.
The time tracker offers everything you’d expect from a simple Pomodoro timer and then some. It provides sliders for you to fine-tune the length of your own focus periods and break times, as well as the ability to track your time and run reports to view your progress. It lets you adjust the lengths of your focus and break sessions. The timer switches automatically from focus to break time. Your data syncs across Focus Booster's web, mobile, and desktop apps.
But what really makes Focus Booster unique are the features in its Professional plan that offers you the ability to set up clients, so you can automatically track time spent on a client’s projects and tasks.
This web-based timer doesn’t even require signup. The timer was built by the team at 352 Inc. and comes in three flavors: Pomodoro, Custom, and Kitchen.
The Pomodoro timer mode lets you get started right away with the default 25/5-minute timers.
If you want to customize timer lengths, Custom mode lets you tweak things to your liking.
Kitchen mode is your plain old one-time timer: Set a time limit and it counts down to zero.
The distinct feature in Marinara is that it gives you a unique URL for each timer, so you can share it with other people. Only the administrator can start or stop the timer, so there's no risk of one person interrupting the timer for everyone else.
ClearFocus it is a minimalist app which lets you customize your timer length as needed and even use the timer from your homepage as a widget. It also allows you to tag your timers so you can easily see what you were working on when you review the statistics page. When you are using multiple devices, ClearFocus is much useful since it supports cross-platform (Android, Mac, and iOS).
Clear Focus is free and an absolute joy to use. You will be directly greeted by the timer screen, ready to begin your work. There is also Pro version ($2.49) which comes with widgets, pause button, and exportable stats.
Clockwork Tomato provides a fully configurable timer with custom colors, sounds, and many other options. Clockwork Tomato not only offer a built-in timer, but also an activity log that helps you see the number of Pomodoros you have completed and the breaks you have taken and the overall time took each working day. The great looking timer widget also comes with Wear OS integration.
Even though the file picker and multi-counter preferences manager can be confusing at times, they are nice additions. With Tasker integration and todo.txt integration plugin, we can include task lists and activity logs to track the time spent on your projects easily.