In class the other day my professor asked the class a question and he was met with blank stares. Confused as to why he instead asked the class what was going on and if we were all “okay”. Still we all just stared back at him not saying anything until finally one student spoke up and said that midterms were getting to everyone and that we were probably just tired. Jokingly the professor responded by saying “well, you don’t have a midterm in this class so let’s wake up”. No, we don’t have a midterm in that class but we still have work and a paper due during midterms week. So here is something I have been trying for a week to prevent getting distracted, burnout, and stay motivated.
The Pomodoro method is a study trick that has helped me balance being efficient and getting work done and taking a moment for myself to either get up and walk around or distract myself with Tik Tok or games on my phone.
The way the Pomodoro method works is 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off. If you can commit yourself to doing 25 minutes of work uninterrupted and without distractions then you reward yourself with a 5 minute break and after 4 consecutive cycles you increase your break by 5 minutes.
The best and most effective way to go about the Pomodoro method is to pick one task to focus on for the 25 minutes you are working and work as much as you can on that one task. So for example if I have a reading and a reading response due for a class discussion then I will focus for 25 minutes on that reading including annotating the reading. Then I will take my 5 minute break after my timer goes off and for the next 25 minutes I will then focus on writing the reading response thinking about the guidelines of the assignment. Having these short bursts (and yes the more you do this the feels shorter and shorter) helps me to complete one task at a time within an achievable timeline in sight. There is actually a Pomodoro timer online! It automatically creates the 25 and 5 minute times as well as gives you a task list you can edit so you have a clear focus of what to work on for each set of 25 minutes.
As someone who gets overwhelmed by how much they have to do in such a short amount of time this method helps to break down all my work in small chunks with a clear “deadline” that I have assigned myself in the form of 25 minute sprints. This makes my work feel so much less daunting and I am then rewarded with a small break.
This method has helped me with feeling like I can get my work done and done on time. It has also helped me from getting tired because 25 minutes is so obtainable and knowing that if I stay focused I am rewarded at the end makes me want to use those 25 minutes in the most effective way possible. Not only does this technique promote accountability and boost motivation but it also helps me self regulate distractions. Again, because I know I can go on my phone in 25 minutes at most I am less likely to be distracted by notification or feelings of needing to check my phone.
If this strategy sounds like something you could benefit from I highly recommend trying it out the next time you sit down to get some work done. Even if you don’t have a ton of work to do, still try the method to see if it is something that you like and if it helps you. Lastly, this method might not work for everyone but it has been beneficial to me a lot recently and I wanted to share it with others in case this is the study method you’ve been looking for!