Skip to main content

Poms revisited

Poms, Pomodoros, Tomayto, Tomahto...


I received a reminder today from Ellis Wakefield that this blog hasn't featured Poms for a while.  He wrote me to let me know that he had recently published a short article called "The Pomodoro Technique – The Ultimate Task Ender" in Red Shed, about the use of Poms, or Pomodoros, in getting tasks done.  I thought it was a nice, clear, simple explanation and I refer you there.

We've blogged about Poms before -- see "What on Earth Are Poms?" by Susanne Morgan.

Here is the official Pomodoro Website and the book created by Francesco Cirillo, the originator of the Pomodoro Technique.

Want Your Own Tomato?

Want your own Pomodoro Timer?
Click the tomato -- it's only US $.49
In case you get inspired to have your own actual tomato timer ("pomodoro" is Italian for tomato) ticking away while you write, click on the tomato timer on the right to access one for $.49.  Many Pomodoro technique fanatics feel the ticking is soothing but also reminds you to stay on task.

The Pomodoro Technique has become incredibly popular in the chat rooms in our Academic Writing Club (AWC), our structured, online, accountability-based coaching system that has helped thousands and thousands of academics write more productively and improve their careers.


As a matter of fact, below is a screenshot of a recent Challenge Chat, which is inexplicably beige -- I haven't figured out how to turn it back to a white background!

As you can see, this Challenge Chat is hosted by Coach Debra.

Debra hosts these Challenge Chat at regularly scheduled times, and Academic Writing Club members join her for that extra motivation to write.  It's like meeting a friend in the coffee shop to do some work.  In fact, we call our main chat the Club Café.  There's nothing like companionship when you work.

Debra asks people to say what they're going to work on, and then they switch to Pom language.  I'd like to call it Pomeranian, but some dogs took that name.  After 25 minutes (the first Pom), they reconvene and say how their writing has gone during that Pom.

Then some decide to keep the Poms going, with breaks according to the Pom rules.

A Challenge Chat, which in reality has a WHITE BACKGROUND AND NOT BEIGE.  Sorry to rant.

Consider joining us in the Academic Writing Club!  As you can see people have lots of fun and lots of Poms and support each other, and they get fantastic results.  Can you afford not to write?  

What do you think of this Pomodoro Technique?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"ABD" -- what does it really mean?

I thought I knew what the definition of ABD was. It was exactly the same as defined here in Carnegie Mellon's University Doctoral Candidate Policies for All But Dissertation (ABD) : After the completion of all formal degree requirements other than the completion of and approval of the doctoral dissertation and the public final examination, doctoral candidates shall be regarded as All But Dissertation(ABD). I have, though, occasionally run into the term ABD being used as a somewhat disparaging designation for one who fulfills the formal degree requirements of the Ph.D. but never finishes the dissertation, and then quits the program. Most recently, I saw it in What They Didn' t Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career , by Paul Gray and David E. Drew. Number 9 of their helpful hints is one that I strongly agree with: "Remember that a Ph.D. is primarily an indication of survivorship." They go on to say, "You stuck wi

Academic Exhaustion Syndrome: Four Recovery Strategies

The semester’s over. If you’re anything like the academics I coach, you feel like death warmed over.  Those last stacks of grading got done on sheer will, determination and fumes. And this is before considering your writing deadlines, committee responsibilities, and other demands.  You are suffering from Academic Exhaustion Syndrome.  Academic Exhaustion Syndrome (an advanced, more scholarly state of burn out) is a state of emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, ending with grading, over the course of the semester and academic year. As the stress continues, you begin to lose interest and motivation to work, you have fantasies of standing up and screaming in the middle of a meeting, and you wonder what temporary loss of reality testing made you decide to become an academic.  This dreaded Syndrome can: Reduce your productivity and saps your energy Make you irritable and have thoughts of strangling an undergraduate Make you feel like you have nothing more to g

The Second Holiday Writing Challenge for Academics

Here's a little boost for those who need a little kickstart to write over the holidays.  I first offered a Holiday Writing Challenge  back in 2005, so I'd say it's about time to do it again. Here's what you do: Post in the comment section: what you'd like to work on (if anything) over the holidays, and the maximum amount of time you'd like to spend on it daily . Please keep this time limit reasonable and low unless you're under huge deadline pressure -- in which case you don't need this challenge in order to get something done! Whether you're a professor or a grad student, make sure you get a copy of the Dissertation Toolkit.  These tools will give you more information and tips for productive and creative writing.  For those of you who have had trouble making yourself write, you may want to start with VERY short writing goals . Even 5 or 10 minutes will be enough to get you jumpstarted.  Don't go more than 25 or 30 minutes withou