The previous website that I reviewed called Pomodoro Crate has rebranded as Rhapsody App. The site is a pomodoro technique web app which is a type time management technique. The pomodoro technique is simply listing out the tasks that you need to complete for the day and also for the week. Then for each task it is assigning the number of pomodoros that it will take to complete that task. If it will take more than five pomodoros then you should break that task up into two tasks and etc.
What is a pomodoro?
That’s a great question! A pomodoro is defined as 25 minutes of uninterrupted time focussed on a task from the list that you created. Once you have completed a pomodoro you decrement the number of pomodoros that are left for that task. Then you take a 5 minute break. When the break is over you come back and start another pomodoro. Once you have completed that task you can mark it as complete and move onto the next task! It is that simple!
Advantages of the Pomodoro Technique
The advantage of the pomodoro technique is it is very simple to understand and to start using. All you need is a timer, a sheet of paper, a pencil and the items required for your task. Originally the timer was in the shape of a pomodoro (meaning a tomato in Italian).
Disadvantages of the Pomodoro Technique
If you are interrupted during a pomodoro session then that pomodoro has to be voided or discarded and you have to start another pomodoro. I think the reason why this is the case is to discourage you from being distracted or allowing yourself to be distracted. It helps to let those around you know that you will be doing a pomodoro and to not disturb you until afterwards. The difficulty behind doing so is that you may experience moments of social awkwardness.
Another disadvantage is that if you find yourself in a groove after 25 minutes you have to stop and take break. I personally prefer 50 minutes for my pomodoro. The Rhapsody App allows you to set the pomodoro time under “Settings”.
Conclusion
The pomodoro technique is a very useful tool to help you get started if you need a little push. However, once you have found your groove or are in the zone then you may want to extend your time of concentration. I personally feel that doing so is not a problem because the purpose of the tool is to be more productivity. At my university they use 50 minutes for a lecture period. So to help train me to focus better in class, I set my pomodoro time to 50 minutes when I use the Rhapsody App. I did this tonight when I was preparing for my Physics exam and found that I was able to concentrate and complete a lot of what I wanted to get done. Once I had finished the 50 minute pomodoro, I realized the library would close before the end of the next pomodoro so I set the pomodoro time to 15 minutes. Rhapsody App makes this very simple and easy to do. I would highly recommend that you start using Rhapsody App to get more things done. It’s easy and free to sign up for an account today.