Hello my Socratic friends! We're here to help you be a great student. Today we're
going to talk about a problem that every student faces at some point - burnout.
We've all done it. We're faced with the giant task - a long paper to write or a
huge test to study for,
or just the day-to-day work load. We have hours and hours of work to do and we
think we can power straight through it - but we always fail. We get exhausted and
discouraged. There's got to be a better way!! There is. The Pomodoro Technique.
"Pomodoro" means "tomato" in Italian. Why would one of the greatest study tips of
all time be named after a tomato?
It's because of this: the simple novelty kitchen timer has the power to
revolutionize your study habits.
It doesn't have to be a tomato... my timer is a little mouse! Now you don't have to
run out and buy a timer if you don't already have one. You can set an alarm on
your phone or your computer - but setting a timer is the key to this technique.
We've installed the toggl chrome extension. You can use it to track all
your projects. Just go to the settings and enable the Pomodoro mode.
Most of us can stay focused on a task for 20 to 30 minutes max. After that, our minds begin
to wander. We check our email, visit a few websites, send a message to a friend...
pretty soon another 30 minutes have gone by and we don't know what happened!
That was your brain insisting it needed a break - so it just took it.
We can put as top to this time wasting!
How? By *planning* to waste time. Just a little, to give our brains a rest.
You'll be amazed at how giving yourself a planned break feels so much better than
stealing unplanned breaks. Here is how we do it:
let's say you have a huge reading assignment - three whole chapters in this
giant textbook. You know that in the past, if you power through it, that much
reading took you at least three hours.
Of course that included a lot of distractions:
browsing the internet, responding to chats...you know the truth is you don't
really know for sure how long it takes you to get your reading
done, because it's been all mixed up with other activities. But this time we're
going to break it into 25-minute chunks, where your assignment is all you do.
Make yourself a promise that you will work uninterruptedly for twenty five
straight minutes without stopping.
You can do it! It's only 25 minutes!
Before we start, get everything you need to do your work.
We're not going to waste any time walking around getting supplies when you
should be doing the job at hand.
You should have paper for taking notes, highlighters, pens, sticky notes, and a
glass of water.
Also make sure you shut out distractions - silence your phone, and put a note on
your door that you are studying and need quiet time. Set your timer for 25 minutes.
Now: read. Don't let anything stop you.
What about if you get distracted? if something occurs to you that you want to
look up online or you think you need to send a text to a friend or whatever? Just
jot a quick note to yourself on a sticky note, and set it aside.
Don't let anything stop you're reading for those 25 minutes.
Break time! Now stop and take a real break. You have five minutes. Set the timer for five
minutes and get up stretch your legs, stretch your back, go use the restroom,
send that text you thought of while you were studying. /you may also want to rest
your eyes for five minutes.
Whatever you do, just make sure it's not related to your studying. You're taking a
real mental break.
Aha! Break time's over! Back to work.
Set your timer for another 25 minutes, and continue your reading. Again, don't
let anything distract you.
You'll be amazed how easily you can get through 25 minutes when you know a break
is coming up. You can do up to four of these pomodoro sessions at a time before
you need a longer break. After four, either call it a day, or if you do have more
work, set your timer for 30 minutes.
Go have some lunch. Go for a walk with a friend.
A lot of people fall into the trap of not taking these longer breaks, but they are
VERY important. They give your brain some time to synthesize all the material
you've been studying and make sense of it
Give your brain a chance to do this important task. Then - back to work!
How many pomodoro cycles did it take to do your reading assignment? It's a good
idea to keep a record of how long it took you to do your work. Maybe make a
note in your planner next to the assignment. This will give you a better
idea of how to plan your time in the future.
You can create a report in toggl to see how you've spent your time.
Apparently... we spend a lot of time on twitter.
I use a pomodoro technique all the time - not only for studying, but also for mundane things, like cleaning my room.
Ii find i can get my work done so much faster by using this technique.
What's more, at the end of four of these sessions, I don't feel nearly as tired as
if I had tried to work straight through. Try it and see!
Now keep in mind, you may find that 20-minute sessions work better for you.
On the other hand some of you might get away with 30 - but don't push it!
Remember taking care of your brain is an important part of being a great student
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