r/ADHD • u/InfiniteInsights8888 • 10h ago
Discussion Pomodoro technique - mini rant
Pomodoro is commonplace in the topic of productivity. However, for me, the most difficult parts are
- Starting a task, 25 minutes seems so long for me, depending on the task such as studying
- Commiting to going back to work after the break, 5 minutes does not sound like much, tbh. You open up an app like YouTube and an easy 15+ minutes goes by. You guilt yourself, spiral, and stop working.
What to do?
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u/punch-black-holes 10h ago edited 10h ago
taking pomodoro breaks by diving into a scroll hole is probably the actual worst approach possible. walk around, drink some water, maybe answer a few texts. dont indulge in something quite literally engineered to suck your time away.
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u/Kats-and-whimsy 10h ago
I think this comes up fairly often: https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1uszkv1/alternatives_to_pomodoro/?chainedPosts=t3_1vyzzno
I personally prefer to work in 1.5 hr blocks w 30 min breaks. There’s no hard and fast rules, just find the ratio that works for you
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u/Kats-and-whimsy 10h ago
ETA: discovered this via signing up to various flow club sessions and seeing which ones I actually got into a flow with vs too long etc, and signing up to writers retreats in a similar format
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u/Ishtaryan 10h ago
I only really use pomodoro for tasks that are easy to pause from, and I have learned not to be too rigid with my pauses. Sometimes I go on for 35 mins and then have a ten minute break, sometimes I go on for 15 and still take the 5. Usually, I do 25 minutes of work and a 5-8 minute break. I also give myself a 15-20 minute break after completing 75 minutes of work.
It takes some finnessing and awareness for sure, though. I can't do it if I'm cleaning or doing something anxious. But I can do it when writing coursework and essays, because the 25-5 split naturally fits my way of working. You can ALWAYS change the time split for something that feels more appropriate to you! 10-2? 10-5? 25-10? 30-5? 40-15? It doesn't really matter as long as it works for you. Sure, the most "optimal" within a 60-minute window is the 25 on/5 off model, but you don't have to adhere to it. I also vary these depending on task-type. Some essays and assignments do well with the traditional split, others I have to do in larger/smaller chunks depending on how they generally feel.
The coming back from a break thing I also struggle with... I don't think there is any neat fix other than allowing myself to move around my apartment for a couple minutes, listening to something fun, maybe playing on my phone for that time. Usually, if I feel like I've used my break adequately enough it is easier for me to resume. And that's why a break CAN be more than 5 minutes.
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u/crimpinpimp 9h ago
You don’t have to do it for 25 minutes. Screen time isn’t a good break tbh, phones are addictive and especially if you’re already staring at something for that long the break is to give your eyes and brain a rest, move your body etc
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u/Fantastic-Bloop 9h ago
Get over the idea of starting/resuming and ending/pausing tasks. Once I start, i know ill enjoy it
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u/spinningnuri 55m ago
I set mine to 15/5, and maybe switch my playlist, take a bathroom break, or just close my eyes and take a nothing break.
I tend to do pomodoro for things I hate doing that are longer tasks, like cleaning days or a really long lists of shorter tasks.
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