Using the Pomodoro Technique for more energy
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An individual’s attention span varies depending on different factors. Originally developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro Technique sets 25 minutes as an average baseline for focused effort and asks that you take 5 minute breaks in-between.
The rhythm of breaks
The idea of the using the Pomodoro Technique is that by taking consistent, rhythmic breaks, you’re able to maintain your energy throughout the day.
It avoids times where you want to put in extra energy to finish a task and then end up being worn out after. You can still put in that needed energy, but having taken breaks along the way, you don’t get as worn out!
Maintaining flow
And it turns out that it doesn’t interrupt your state of flow! The Zeigarnik Effect is a phenomenon where people remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks.
Your brain essentially does work in the background to remember the work in a similar way to how your brain processes while sleeping, and is able to pick up right back up where it left off after your break.
My own experience has been the same as when I first started meditating 10 minutes a day; it was hard to believe that it had any effect until I actually felt it after a couple of weeks of trying it out. And I now feel like it impacts my overall week, and even believe that it can help to avoid burnout in the long term.