Originally published July 2020; Updated January 17, 2021
Recently I listened to a podcast by Sam Harris about the “Price of Distraction” with guest Adam Gazzaley. Gazzaley claims that we have evolved to forage information. Because of this, it has become increasingly difficult to hold one’s attention towards anything for very long as the next piece of information is just around the corner. An analogy that Gazzaley used is a squirrel in a tree foraging nuts; if the next tree has more nuts, why not move on! Much of that urge is hardwired into our evolution and was largely for survival.
This last year, which has been dominated by the COVID 19 Pandemic, has highlighted how much we are currently living through an inbox or a set of browser tabs. This constant (and largely subconscious) temptation to the next piece of information has made “single tasking” as, Gazzaley puts it, all but impossible thanks to our evolution. The micro distractions you can have in a day will add up to poor productivity–especially when many are working from home, or not at all.
Enter the Pomodoro Technique
I have spent the better part of 9 years of my university education trying to find the best way to study and stay productive. This pursuit continues while I work in the field of my choice. There are different mechanisms people use to stay attentive. Some people like music; some require background noise; and others need total silence.
All of these variables are highly personalized. But once distilled, there are some common denominators. Effective studying comes down to optimal attentiveness.
In other words, this is all about the human attention span.
One method that has worked for me is the Pomodoro Technique.
The Pomodoro technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. The technique uses 25 minute work intervals, separated by 5 minute breaks. This, of course, can be personalized. After each 4 iterations of 25 minutes, you are allowed to take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. Afterwards, you restart the cycle.
The key is to play by the rules
This technique only works if you play by the rules. That means no distractions are permitted during the 25 minute intervals. You are free to scroll the depths of Facebook to your heart’s content during the pause. But during the pomodoro, it is phones off (or flightmode equivalent), and your full attention.
Why am I able to avoid distraction using a self-regulated mechanism? I use this technique at work, school, when I write, when I read; I use it everywhere. Perhaps it is a matter of structure—I need structure; I need rules; I need a sense of urgency.
Urgency compounded with structure was the ticket for me. 25 minutes to do as much as I can, as productively as I can, with some relief at the end. I need something to tell me you can or cannot do something. With structure in place, and rewards established, I am able to tackle the events of my day with minimal procrastination. In fact, my procrastination—during the pomodoro breaks—is sanctioned and guilt free.
Breaks are important
All of this is in perfect accordance with the science behind human attention. Here is one study from the University of Illinois that showed that even brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods. In a way, this is to eliminate cognitive boredom. However, there are diminishing returns if you get lost in a facebook vortex. That’s why timing your breaks is key.
Completing a pomodoro is satisfying
I think the satisfaction of completing a pomodoro is largely tied to the hit of dopamine I get from a completed pomodoro. The recording of how many pomodoros I do is as important as the undistracted time allotted to studying during the 25 minute intervals.
I am addicted to the completion and accumulation, as much, or more than the task itself. This is in line with the psychology behind many fitness apps: you are more likely to be physically vigilant when you are recording and or competing against yourself.
Each day, I start to measure my productivity, not with the total work done, but with the total amount of pomodoros completed.
The pomodoro technique helps combat Parkinson’s Law
Surprisingly, these two metrics are not one and the same. “I had 12 Pomodoros yesterday” vs “I worked 5 hours”. At the very least, I know that the work done in those Pomodoros was truly undistracted. This helps combat the Parkinson’s law that your work expands to fill in the available time for its completion.
Parkinson’s law, simply put, is that one will drag on a task (unwittingly) just because one has the time to spend on it. However, time is a non-renewable (and precious) resource for all of us. Simply put, and for whatever reasons, the pomodoro technique just works. When you are working within a 25 minute uninterrupted block, opposed to needing to get something in by next Friday, you are really trying to get as much as you can done in that space of time (with the hope of a little break reward at the end).
The pomodoro technique also improves your attention span
Attention is a skill. I have been meditating for years to help improve (among other things) my focus and attention. Daniel Goleman speaks about the “the impoverishment of attention.” In the age of the smart phone and computer, we have entered the era of the “neural buzz” which can easily overwhelm our ability to control our focus. One of the keys to ensuring the pomodoro technique is effective is to limit external stimulus while you’re completing a pomodoro. That means turning your phone off or on silent.
Anything that might be mission critical that has come in (via your inbox, or other) that needs to be done, can likely wait to be addressed after the balance of the pomodoro that you’ve yet to complete. This is at most 25 minutes.
Luckily, attention and focus can be learned and improved. Activities like meditation and exercise can help improve attention. In fact, the pomodoro technique itself improves your attention span by forcing you to ignore the temptation to do anything but the task at hand. This concept of single tasking as discussed in Harris’ podcast I mentioned above.
As you continue to employ the technique in different aspects of your life you may find, like me, that your ability to focus without the pomodoro has improved significantly. The benefits will proliferate to other areas of your life. In fact, until you start using the technique, you may have never noticed this so called “impoverishment” or the price of those micro distractions.
So, if you’re looking for something to tackle your procrastination, this is a great rule structured approach to an age old problem. There are a number of pomodoro apps online for different platforms—be it Android, Apple, or Web desktop. Or, you can go old-school and get an egg timer. However the platform, or timer, the principle will be the same.
Good luck, and happy productivity!
Al holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in Linguistics & Political Studies from the University of Manitoba. He is currently working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Al has a passion for language, meditation, health, travelling, business and tech. Al is one of the co-founders of ThoughtNotion. You can connect with him on his personal site or on LinkedIn.
