image. I tried GTD a looooong time ago and I gave up almost immediately. It surprises me though, that there is actually an outlook plugin for GTD system and a ton of softwares based on GTD. That means there is some section of people who are finding it useful .

Anyways this book is markedly different in its premise. It is based on chunking principle. If you want to do anything , focus on it for a specific period of time, take a break and repeat it !!. 

“Pomodoro”, is an Italian word for Tomato, and the originator of this technique (Francesco Cirillo) found a productivity hack using a kitchen timer that was in the shape of a tomato. Hence the name Pomodoro Technique. Basically the principle goes something like this:

  • Set a timer for 25 min on a task and work on it with absolutely no distractions. Each 25 min chunk is called a Pomodoro.

  • Take a forced break for 5 min where one is not supposed to think of previous Pomodoro activity or future Pomodoro activity

  • Repeat the above steps 3 times after which you can a 15 min break.

Is it really a productive hack ? God Knows!..I read this book (in 2 Pomodoros ) out of sheer curiosity  as this has generated quite some buzz. I guess this technique might be useful for multitaskers who have too many things on their to-do list and want some structure to their juggling act.