In a Nutshell: 3 Tips
• Make it a daily habit to plan for and schedule at least one hour for work that requires careful thought.
• Use a visual device (an egg timer, or a sign that says “Think”) to broadcast that this is your time to be left alone.
• Inform your colleagues of your new technique so they understand and support your efforts.
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Social networks are roiling with chatter about one of the latest time management tips. It’s gone viral, and it’s called The Pomodoro Technique™. My guess is that it’s attracting so much attention because it seems to solve an overwhelming problem in a deceptively simple way.
Let’s take a step back before I launch into exactly what The Pomodoro Technique is.
One question that is desperately blurted out during every single time management workshop I conduct is, how do I get off the email/text/phone call/constant emergencies merry-go-round and find some quiet time to think and work. It seems to be almost impossible to do so, when everyone thinks it’s his or her right to expect a response to every inquiry, no matter how small or irrelevant, within minutes if not seconds. It takes superhuman powers to resist the urge to constantly check email or answer the phone.
The Pomodoro Technique brandishes a kitchen timer as both shield and spear in this insane world. The 
tick-tick-tick of the timer warns would-be interrupters to stay away. At the same time it’s a weapon for battling a lack of self control. Here’s what you’re supposed to do.
Each morning write a list of to do’s to complete before you sign off for the day. You work your way down the list in 25-minute intervals, with each interval devoted to one task, and 3 – 5 minute breaks between intervals. The kitchen timer is set at the beginning of each interval.
I like this tip because it ties into one of the themes of my Time Management workshop: Don’t multitask! Don’t interrupt your work flow every five or ten minutes and hop from one task to another. Our minds just aren’t built that way, especially when we need to work on a task that takes concentration. It takes 10-15 minutes to become immersed in a task, so jumping around is without a doubt a huge time waster. This technique is also good for anyone with serious procrastination issues.
Years ago, when I worked on FORTUNE magazine, I went through a period when my right-hand person was promoted and his replacement hadn’t started. Being one person down wasn’t considered an acceptable excuse for not getting things done. The only way I made it through was to figure out The Pomodoro Technique on my own. It took intense amounts of willpower, but setting aside chunks of time and focusing on only one task at a time, even if my mind was shrieking “Stop and work on that other thing”, was the key to successfully surviving that period.
Having a kitchen timer would have been nice touch. And it can be an effective way for you to signal to the people who stop by your office to leave you alone until a 25-minute interval is over. But don’t use the lack of one as an excuse not to give this method a try.