The Pomodoro Technique

Over the past year, you and your child may have already found yourself getting in the groove of things and finding a routine that works best for you. However, things are constantly changing and things are different everyday that can prevent a routine from truly being established.

For example, for those in school, finals and big assignments may be coming up soon, and it can be daunting for students to figure out how to get everything done, especially with the anxiety they may be feeling with these tasks on top of the anxiety with everything else going on. Ironically, those who feel anxiety when it comes to getting tasks completed have a harder time getting things done because their anxiety can cause them to freeze. Distractions around them like your phone, bed, and other tabs don’t help either.

Overall, it’s overwhelming and messy.

So, if you or your child have big things that you need to get done coming up – or even if you want to make sure you can stay on task when everything feels distracting – there are ways to focus on them without these daunting anxious feelings.

One way to do this is by dividing your work into intervals. This is known as the Pomodoro Technique, where you spend a set amount of time focusing on whatever you need to focus on, take a small break, and then repeat. The amount of time you choose to do your work can vary depending on how long you realistically think you can focus. Some may be able to do a half-hour of their work, take a three minute break, and repeat until they’re done, while others may think that spending ten minutes working is the most realistic with five minute breaks. Everyone works differently.

There are a ton of apps that you can use that lets you set how long you want these intervals and breaks to be. Some include Be Focused, the Tomato Timer, and Engross. You can check them out and choose what’s best for you depending on what device you want to have the timer on, how they look, and how effective they are.


Do you know how your child focuses on their work? Have you noticed if they’ve had trouble focusing? What are ways that you think you can discuss this with your child, and what solutions do you think would help them?

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