Debunking the Pomodoro Method

I am pretty sure the Pomodoro Technique is ineffective for language learning and not based on science, but does the Pomodoro method work for doing your best work? Let's find out.

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Couch Polyglot (I'm a fan of this language learning channel):

Andrew Huberman on Ultraidian Cycles:

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What is the Pomodoro Method?
00:40 Pomodoro is ruining my life
03:14 Where Pomodoro Comes From
05:21 Pomodoro is pseudo-nothing
10:43 What to do with 25 minutes
11:25 What to do instead

Let me know: How long do you find you can work before you have to stop, and how long does it take you to find your groove when working?

[daysandwords]

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[crazychase]

The Pomodoro is more for people who have trouble getting started. “Just work for as long as you can” sounds like an infinite hell to me. And I’ll never start because it feels so daunting. But “work for 25 mins and then take a break” makes everything feel so much more manageable

[runningriot]

The idea behind the pomodoro is that Francesco Cirillo discovered by testing on himself that after about 25-30 mins he noticed his productivity would start to dip, so by taking a quick break you're essentially resting your productivity. It's a good idea, however it's not exactly 25 mins for everyone, some people can go longer. A more accurate modern understanding is just like daddy Huberman said, 90 mins is max concentration blocks for the majority of people.

[korinnab.]

I have ADHD and I personally have found that the pomodoro method is the only study method that actually works for me. If I get into that workflow state I will be stuck in it for 12 hours and forget to eat lmao. Those breaks prevent me from getting sucked into hyperfocus while also keeping me motivated and not getting burnt out

[DustinSchermaul]

I'm actually using the pomodoro technique, because it helps me to reduce the barrier of getting started to work on something. If I start under the premise that I will work for 5 hours straight, then I'll probably procrastinate instead of get going. And there are also timers that don't make a disturbing noise or anything, but just have a silent and really tiny popup that tell you, you have been working for 25 minutes or whatever amount of time you have set to be one pomodoro. Often I then just keep going and proceed working.
I completely agree that it's important to not artificially limit the time you're working on something by using a timer, because you'll otherwise might never reach a flow state. I can recommend to everybody to try it out and to see what works for you the best.
Other than that nice video again ;).

[j]

I agree that when you do something where you may enter a flow state like language learning, unnecessarily inserting pauses all the time does nothing but harm. Better to do it in one go and go for as long as you can. However, I still use the pomodoro technique extensively for particularly boring and tedious tasks. At 6:56 you ask "Why have a timer at all? Is your cognitive function supposed to know that your timer has gone off?" and as ridiculous as it may sound to you, yes, that's exactly what it is. Once I click on "start" on my timer, I CANNOT procrastinate anymore and I CANNOT allow myself any pauses until my scheduled pause comes up. The act of clicking the button is a seal of commitment about what I'm going to do with my next 25 minutes. There is no backing out of it. The hardest part about getting stuff done and not procrastinating is the start; the pomodoro timer makes this easy because I just have to click the button. I can click on a button and get 25 minutes of productivity out of it, a dream for any procrastinator. It's not about the pauses for me, it's not about the number 25, it's just about the fact that I allotted a time slot to a task and that I cannot back out of that commitment anymore.

So in summary, I agree that the pauses are inefficient and psychologically nonsensical, I agree that I'm sacrificing some productivity by using pomodoro, but on the other hand, it greatly reduces the risk of me mindlessly dawdling away the next 4 hours on the internet. I use pomodoro to hold myself accountable.

[Charlotte-tiyk]

So. I’ve been talking about this at work recently. (I’m about half way through the video so forgive me if I mention something you cover later - I will adjust this comment if that’s the case!).
I actually do use this technique… for activities I don’t want to do. For activities I do want to do (like language learning), there’s no way I’d limit my work to 25 or 45 minutes. Like you, I’d be seriously irritated if something interrupted my flow.
But for something I don’t want to do (like a course I’m studying for work right now), something I find so utterly boring I want to claw my eyes out, but that is a requirement to continue being employed and so has to be done, this technique is useful. I will never enter any kind of flow state with this course. I will jump on just about any distraction as a reason to justify either not starting to study, or stopping it. So I actually do use this technique as a sort of ‘reward’ system. If I study for 25 minutes, I can do something ‘fun’ for 5 minutes. Or if I study for 45 minutes, I can do something ‘fun’ for 10-15 minutes. Like listen to music or something (or a a Turkish podcast! 😂). I know that’s not necessarily the way it was designed, but that’s how I use it. The 5 or 10 minutes is the carrot, so to speak. It works for me. But yeah, I’d personally never use it for language learning.
Okay. Off to watch the second half now…

Editing to answer your final question. When doing something I really enjoy, like language learning, I can lose myself in time. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like nothing else exists outside of what I’m doing. I put my head down and when I lift it back up five hours have passed. The tomato technique would 100% hinder my language learning activities and I would hate the interruption.
I stand by my statement for things I hate but have to do though. For things I spend hours and hours and hours on and then look at my watch to find only 30 seconds have passed… well, that oven timer is a welcome relief!

[andyhammond]

I use the pomodoro timers specifically for work tasks that I need to focus on. Not necessarily studying. Im finding that it works quite well in helping me focus on what I need to do, and helps me prevent distraction. Ive tried using it for language learning, but Ive always felt that I want to continue after the timer. Im not going to watch a spanish TV show and stop half way through because the timer went off :P

[fatimaallawati]

Hello Lamont,
This is a VERY relatable video
I know I have never commented on your videos but I REALLY enjoy them and especially this one as it quite rebellious and I am a big fan of videos that challenge the stereotypes in the world of productivity

Keep the good work going!!

[Leo-sdjt]

Pomidor is probably the second most common word for tomato. It translates to Golden Apple.

[SomedayKorean]

For working on a single large task, I'm like you -- I get into that "flow state" and just sit there for hours until I come to a natural break.

Where I've used pomodoros before and thought it was helpful was for getting a variety of small tasks done on a to-do list that I didn't want to do. I found it especially helpful for cleaning my apartment, which I'm ALWAYS putting off and never actually reach a "flow state" for. I actually really liked breaking down the cleaning into small 25 minute chunks, since it's usually more of a collection of a bajillion smaller annoying tasks anyways, and I found it more helpful to face one 25 minute chunk at a time than facing the entire mess as a whole. Having the break times set for 5 minutes was also nice, because otherwise I have the tendency to turn a quick break into an hour of distractions. Haven't done it in years, though, which may be why my apartment is usually messy... ha!

For most other things that actually have more of a "flow" to get into, I agree with you. When I've tried doing this with writing or studying I find myself constantly checking the timer, or working into my break times because I was in a groove.

[anangelsdiaries]

I did something called Anime-doro, learned about it from a youtuber. Where I'd work for 50-60min and then watch an anime episode. Worked better for me than pomodoro, and actually felt rested after the break. Gave up after a while though cause i'd rather work until I hit a wall (or start to notice an increase in inattention errors), and then go for a walk, then the alternative. This typically works out to block of more than an hour, with break of 15-20 minutes when needed.

[aell.e]

Thank you for bringing in some scientific data I never heard of! When I was self-studying, I would use a timer to get a rough idea of how long I had been working on each topic. I remember being surprised to find that no matter the subject, it would very often be multiples of 45 minutes (45min, 1h30, 2h15). It might have something to do with the 90 minutes you mentioned. I’ll go look up the podcast, cheers for referencing it!

[poleag]

Another problem with this idea when it comes to language learning is that it doesn't account for the natural breaks that occur within study materials. If I'm watching a Disney film in Spanish, there are going to be 5-minute action scenes, 5-minute song and dance routines, and all kinds of other interruptions in the pure Spanish dialogue. Even if I'm listening to an audiobook of pure Spanish, some of it is going to be very easy, familiar language that my brain can effortlessly process. So, if you get an hour of Spanish input, it likely already includes sufficient break time for your brain to relax, recover, and operate at close to maximum efficiency.

[KSLAMB-uzit]

I'm in my 50s and I first heard of working in 25 minute chunks when in college; the 80s. It never worked for me.

[Boss_Scaggz]

I independently discovered the "pomodoro technique" while studying German (30 min, broken up by a few min of physical activity). This technique helped me get through extreme study sessions throughout my bachelor's and master's as well as any other time I found myself in a time-crunch. *The perseverant ticking of the timer (I have an entire collection) is what puts me into an almost trance-like state.*

The point is you break something insurmountable up into bite-sized chunks. Of course a long flow-state is good for productivity, but looking at something "fresh" multiple times a study session is good for learning in my experience. In other words, I remember stuff better. Also, multi-hour flow states seem to require more artificial stimulation in my experience (caffeine, nootropics, etc.).

[sharonoddlyenough]

I've mostly heard of the pomodoro technique in home cleaning and organizing parts of the nternet, where mental health creates blocks to starting and some folks are prone to cleaning for hours on end for a day then doing nothing for a month.

For me, I have problems starting things no matter how fun I find them, so I set a timer for 10 minutes and silence it because by then I've started, and I can continue

[TMMx]

I use pomodoros not to get myself to take breaks every 25 minutes, but rather to keep me from taking breaks every 2 minutes. My attention span can barely even hold on for that long.

[stevencarr]

Wow! How did you get hold of a 5.25 inch floppy disc? I'm wiping away tears of nostalgia just looking at a still frame of it.

I can't work for more than an hour without needing a break.

[hollowedboi]

It helps me with a different more soothing timer, and for like an indicator to stretch, but for sure not 30 minutes, but rather an hour or just until I start to feel some brain fog. Though I also feel it depends on the person’s work type, like do you want to work in intervals, or work in one long stretch without interruption, or perhaps work a bit in the morning, then a bit at lunch, and a hit in the afternoon? Like thus isn’t one size fits all but maybe for a few