How to Beat Procrastination (In just 25 minutes)
procrastination
/prə(ʊ)ˌkrastɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
- the action of delaying or postponing something.
As students, you must be familiar with that term – whether it’s that 10-page research paper you waited to write until 12 hours (or 5…or 1) before it’s due or that Physics exam you meant to start studying for a week ago, we’ve all had that unpleasant moment when procrastination has made our lives just that much harder.
You might have several ways to try and combat procrastination – maybe your mother screaming go to your room and study is one way! Or maybe you use the Pomodoro Technique. Pomo- what you ask? No, not pomme d’amour. It’s a science backed time management technique. Let us tell you more.
Pomodoro Technique
Francesco Cirillo is widely credited for coming up with the Pomodoro concept in the late 80’s. It’s certainly not for everyone. But for the rest of us, we think it’s one of the most powerful ways to get more done in the same amount of time.
In a typical pomodoro session, you work on only one task, putting your phone on airplane mode or silent (no phone call from bffs, no Tiktok or Insta), logging out of social media (Later, Mark), and pausing Emily in Paris.
In short, the drill is to limit distractions, which helps you remain dedicated to the task you are doing. In other words, you limit multitasking. Some of us can be boastful about how well we multitask. In reality, science discourages it, revealing that multitasking can harm your brain and slow your progress as well.
When you switch from one task to another, it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds for you to refocus according to a study from the University of California Irvine. That’s almost one Pomodoro – imagine what could be achieved in all this time! You could have finally coded that game!
The pomodoro technique’s approach of dividing work into ‘do’ and ‘break’ sessions increases your brain’s incentives for reward – now let’s not go taking a break of 1hr to celebrate the work achieved in those 25 mins :D
How to Use the Pomodoro Technique
It’s simple and easy to remember. Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Choose your one task to work on – Just the one. And no multi-tasking – it’s less productive.
Step 2: Put a timer. Work on that task for 25 mins – Does not matter if you can hear Blacklist in the background and Raymond Reddington is alive, AGAIN. Don’t even think about it until the session is up.
Step 3: Make a note of distractions – Whenever you think of another task that needs doing, jot it down on a piece of paper next to you, but do not get to it just yet. Once you get used to doing these blocks of Pomodoros, the distractions will be fewer and fewer.
Step 4: When the timer rings, you stop working and take a break. Take a 5-minute break (or 10 if you must), then you reset the timer and do it again.
Step 5: Use your break wisely! For instance you can go and check out our page on Insta and see the different workshops we organised recently that you may benefit from: https://www.instagram.com/phronesisusa/?hl=en
If you still can’t hack this technique, don’t worry! Contact us to see if you’re eligible to become a student at our learning academy. At PhronesisUSA, we equip you with tools, and the right platforms so that time management becomes easy. Our consultants work with you on a 1-1 basis through all your goals for the month, and for the year so that you and your parents can track your progress towards your application for university or for that next step in your career.
Contact us today to find out more on how we can help you with your goals. See success stories here.
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