Enhanced Learning: The Pomodoro Technique

The Struggle

All too often, students find themselves investing large chunks of time in studying and practicing, only to discover that they have little time left in the day to enjoy, and, surprisingly, they have not learned as much as they should have. The question arises: If I have dedicated so many hours to studying, how is it possible that I don’t understand the material and haven’t achieved my desired grade?

While putting in the hours to study for a course is a prerequisite for success, it does not guarantee success. One major pitfall students often encounter is allocating extensive amounts of time to study but finding themselves unable to focus for the duration, leading to floundering or becoming distracted during their study time. Fortunately, there are many tools available to address this issue, with one particularly popular and effective tool being the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro

The Basics

Designed to combat distraction and enhance focus, the Pomodoro Technique provides a solid, enjoyable, and easy-to-manage study structure. The basics are as follows:

  1. Pick a topic or task.
  2. Set a timer (25 minutes is normal).
  3. Get to work!
  4. Once the timer is up, take a short break (5 minutes is normal).
  5. Repeat as needed.
  6. Take an extended break after 4 sessions or so.

This allows you to focus on a topic of your choice at a pace you’ve found reasonable, and with a well-deserved break. If feeling antsy during a study session, knowing that a small break is on its way makes it much easier to power through. A few 25-minute study sessions, with breaks in between, also seem much less daunting than a full two-hour study block.

Making It Work For You

Every student is different, and a great benefit of this strategy is its versatility and adaptability. If you tend to enjoy longer study sessions, feel free to adjust the study blocks to 45 minutes or even an hour, and give yourself a break accordingly. If even 25 minutes is daunting, then you can switch it up by setting a 15-minute timer with even a 3-minute break. You would be surprised how effective 15 minutes of serious study and focused work can be!

How to Enjoy Studying

If you have a knot in your stomach at the thought of studying or find yourself miserable during the process, it’s vital you find a way to make studying a positive experience.

Treat Yourself

Be sure to make the study break as rewarding as possible. This could be a quick snack you can look forward to, a nice walk outside, or playing with your dog. Anything that you enjoy and can see as a positive result of the hard work you are putting in. Though we recommend not jumping straight to your phone or any other habit that can lead to more distractions!

Study Music

Music you enjoy can be a fantastic way to improve your studying experience. Music with lyrics or complex rhythms can be distracting, so we recommend light music such as instrumental, classical, or lofi beats. There are even videos with study music and pre-allotted break times, such as those from the Study Pomodoro channel.

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone!

If you’re investing a lot of time in studying but don’t want to become a recluse, mix the two! Convince a friend to join you for some serious studying, and you can enjoy the breaks together, talk about the topics, and have a great time. Be careful not to get too distracted, as studying with friends can very easily turn into chatting with friends.

Pitfalls to Avoid

This is a powerful technique that we have seen many students use to great success. However, it does still require diligence and effort on the part of the student. The following are things to avoid while making use of this technique, as they can ruin a study session and put hours of effort to waste.

Letting Breaks Run Long

Just as a timer is necessary to keep you on task for the pre-allotted time, a timer may be vital for keeping breaks in check as well! It can be all too easy to take that 5-minute break and end up 15 minutes away from study, spending almost as much time relaxing or distracted as getting work done. In order to keep this in check, we strongly recommend putting a timer up for your breaks as well and keeping to it.

Your Phone Is Calling You

If you’ve put all this effort to decide a task, set a timer, and sit down for some serious study, a simple buzz from your phone can ruin everything. It can be very tempting once you glance at your phone to notice an update from your social media post, start scrolling through short-form videos, or text a friend. What starts as a momentary distraction can end up taking over half your study time.

If you’ve decided to take your studies seriously, we recommend taking that phone and putting it away. Ideally, deep into some drawer out of sight and reach, or even in another room! If you really just can’t keep yourself away from your phone, reach out to family or a friend and ask them to hold onto it until the timer goes off.

Choosing the Task and Goal

It is very important that the tasks and goals you set for a study session are carefully chosen. Without precise, clearly defined tasks, you can spend more of your study session bouncing between topics to go over and fretting over the best way to study than actually studying. If you choose unreasonable goals, like covering every topic for an upcoming exam in full in only 25 minutes, you can set yourself up for failure. Check yourself and see that whatever you choose to work on, you have a realistic chance of getting done in the timer given. Your ability to judge the timing for these sessions will improve as you practice. Make sure you have a solid plan before setting your timer and stick to it.

With that, you are set to use a powerful study technique, which can be both more effective and more enjoyable! If you’re in need of personal support from a friendly and professional tutor, reach out to us anytime!