As the semester ends, and finals week begins, the amount of anxiety and stress that suddenly seems to double down on everyone on campus begins as well. The buzz of campus life that was there before, dies down to frowns and frustrations, as everyone starts preparing for exam season and struggles over not understanding the materials at hand. It seems that in the time that we are the most stressed and overworked, we will do just about anything to procrastinate the task at hand. Whether that be studying, working on a final paper, or completing a group project, all of our thoughts wander on the various ways that we can procrastinate.
This time, one of my ways of procrastination was to actually research about procrastination. Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing work that could have been done at an earlier time. It primarily stems from the behavioral phenomenon called “time inconsistency” which states that there are two versions of ourselves, the present self, and the future self. Our present self values the time that we have and wants to spend that time treating ourselves, while our future self wants to be the one who has accomplished all the goals and tasks at hand and is on top of things. Most of the time, the wants of our present self win despite having good intentions of doing the work, we procrastinate and waste the time on our hands. This newfound knowledge led to more research about anti-procrastination and productivity techniques. There were a lot of techniques that were learned from researching, some of these include the Kanban Method, the Eisenhower Matrix, and the Eat the Frog method. All of these productivity techniques focused on time management and dividing up the tasks at hand. However, out of the many ones that were researched, there was one method that stood out the most compared to others, which was the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro Technique stands out as the simplest and most effective method for managing time and improving focus. It was developed by Francesco Circle in the late 1980s, and it is a method that is used by most people, especially college students, today. The Pomodoro Technique revolves around the concept of breaking work into short and focused intervals with small breaks in between. First, you choose a task to work on. Set a time for 25 minutes and exclusively focus on the chosen task, after those 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat the process over and over again. After completing four cycles of work and a break, take a longer break for around 15 to 30 minutes and then repeat the cycle again.
There are different factors that make the Pomodoro Technique so effective, but the two that are most utilized are the force focus and the Zeigarnik Effect. The first factor is called the force focus technique. This technique involves breaking the task at hand into small, short manageable intervals and encourages a deep focus on the task. The brain can only work for a limited amount of time before needing a mental break. By utilizing the Pomodoro Technique, it provides short structural intervals and forces the brain to work for those 25 minutes without taking a break.
Another factor as to why the Pomodoro Technique is effective is because it utilizes the Zeigarnik Effect, which is a psychological phenomenon that suggests that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. So, when a task is interrupted with a short or long break, it creates a mental loop in the mind, leading to a sense of urgency to complete the task at hand. So, right after your break ends, it ensures you go back to the task at hand. The Zegarnik Effect increases motivation and focus in a person, showcasing its effectiveness. This also fosters productivity and effective use of time management, leading to the Pomodoro Technique’s success
As the semester comes to a close and the pressure mounts, the Pomodoro Technique serves as a mental stimulant and emerges as a powerful tool in combating procrastination and changing productivity. The structured approach that the Pomorodo technique utilizes, capitalizes the brain’s natural ability to focus for limited periods and enforces concentration on the task at hand. By embracing this method, students can navigate their challenges and achieve their goals without being defeated due to procrastination.
References:
Amit, A. J., Shankararam, S. G., Pradeep, P., Perumalraja, R., & Kamalesh, S. (2021, May). Framework for preventing procrastination and increasing productivity. In 2021 3rd International Conference on Signal Processing and Communication (ICPSC) (pp. 228-232). IEEE.
Clear, J. (2019). Procrastination: A Scientific Guide on How to Stop Procrastinating. jamesclear. com/procrastination>. Acesso em, 12.
Kachigan, M. (2022, January 4). Pomodoro Technique & productivity – method that yields big results. Official Teamly Blog – Official Teamly Blog – Your Project Management Resource. https://www.teamly.com/blog/pomodoro-technique-to-maximize-productivity/
Pomodoro technique: A simple timer improves productivity: Clockwise. RSS. (n.d.). https://www.getclockwise.com/blog/pomodoro-technique
Seifert, C. M., & Patalano, A. L. (1991). Memory for incomplete tasks: A re-examination of the Zeigarnik effect.
