When you create an account (through Google, Facebook, or GitHub), you can save your Pomodoro details, including sound and notification settings. A Stats tab shows your activity over time, including the average number of Pomodoros you complete each day and the time spent working. If that doesn’t work for you, use the custom timer to set up your time segments. You can give each one a name and a length down to the second. However, you can’t create an account or save your Pomodoro or custom timer sessions. MarinaraTimer also doesn’t offer activity reports. The pre-end feature warns you that a session is nearing its end, which can help if you’re a clock watcher. Otherwise, you can mute this reminder. An extended timer option prolongs a work session or break that doesn’t end until you press the Skip button. It has several custom options, including 10 ticking sounds and 14 alarms. You can set different sounds and volume levels for Focus Sessions, short breaks, and long breaks. Notifications come through even if Focus Keeper is running in the background. Fourteen- and 30-day activity reports track your productivity over time. You can even set a goal for the number of Focus Sessions you’d like to complete each day. The only thing missing is the option to label your Focus Sessions so you can track what you’re doing. You’ll have to use a different app or a notebook if you want to do so. It’s extremely customizable: Set it up to work with the Pomodoro technique, or opt to use your own. With so many features, it can be confusing at first. Still, the documentation is extensive and augmented with articles that detail use cases, tips, and general work advice. A typical Pomodoro lasts 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. After four Pomodoros, you take an extended break of 15 to 25 minutes. You can change all durations based on your workload and routine, and you can use a kitchen timer or stopwatch. The many mobile and online tools available, however, add lots of functionality and convenience.
Pomodoro Tips
The technique’s many fans rely on a few common strategies:
Start by creating your to-do list, and then allocate each task to a Pomodoro.Break projects into digestible steps that you can complete in one Pomodoro.If that’s not possible, limit the number of Pomodoros allotted to each task.Bundle tasks together that can be completed in less than 25 minutes.Devote your first Pomodoro of the day to planning the rest of the day, or use your last Pomodoro to prepare for the following day.Don’t be too hard on yourself. To quote Pomodoro-Tracker.com, “The next Pomodoro will go better.”
Best and Worst Uses for Pomodoro
Some projects are better suited to the Pomodoro technique than others. Those for which it works well include:
Writing.Clearing out your email backlog.Clearing out your inbox (IT support tickets, fixing software bugs, and similar items).Homework, term papers, and other student projects.Household chores.Home projects, such as garage cleanout.Projects you can tackle in short intervals.Anything that you’ve put off for too long.
Don’t use Pomodoro for:
Leisure activities.Tasks or projects that don’t benefit from frequent breaks, such as reading or research.Anything that doesn’t fit within the technique after several attempts.
