My Experiment with tweaking the Pomodoro Technique

​​The Pomodoro technique is very powerful and very useful. I find it invaluable and the main tool I use to get things done. I’ve got a number of different ways of doing to solve different problems. One of them is when I have a job that is long, difficult, and requires a lot of concentration, and then I’ll do it by alternating sessions with more mundane work. 

I am thinking here of working on hard mental stuff like coding or original writing. Although I can manage an hour-long session on this, and even a three-hour one, it seems to be better to do a standard 25-minute one. The intervening sessions seem to be quite good for letting my subconscious work on the big problem. So, although it undoubtedly does interrupt my concentration, this isn’t always bad. And of course, I get other stuff done. I also tend to back up my work to Github at the end of the session which means I keep backed up and documented quite well without much effort.

The drawback is that the 5-minute break is sometimes the trigger for losing interest in what I am doing altogether. This is particularly the case with a job that needs a lot of concentration because there is resistance to starting something hard. This is, in fact, the Achilles heel of the Pomodoro technique all round. So today, I will try skipping the break and going straight into the next session. I don’t know how well this will work. The break may be an absolute key to the technique's success, and it will go to pot without it. On the other hand, if it turns out not to be needed, then I can get my work done quicker, finish earlier and have a longer session of genuine relaxation.