The Pomodoro Technique Is Overrated And I Will Die On This Hill
Consider working in your “ultradian rhythm” instead.
Ten thousand years ago, before I wrote for a living, I was pursuing a career in a very niche industry: classical French horn.
Shockingly, two university degrees in music didn’t give me job security or alumni connections. What they gave me were the formative experiences that come with relentlessly pursuing one skill set. Success in classical music isn’t about networking or wordsmithery. It’s about deliberate practice; big, fat blocks of practice.
Practice is corroborated by research. The idea that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery was first introduced in a 1993 study by the late K. Anders Ericsson. But that research also found another interesting anecdote that’s been less publicized: The musicians at the top of their class often practiced in larger, deeper time blocks. They also took bigger mental breaks in between their sessions.
When I transitioned out of the arts and into marketing, I felt skill-less at first. Then I realized that the ability to practice deliberately was a powerful weapon in the always-evolved career landscape. Deliberate practice helps you work less, produce more, and stand out in a crowded field.
It’s for these reasons that I gave up on the often name-dropped Pomodoro technique. Maybe you should too.
The Pomodoro Technique Is Overrated
If you’ve hung around entrepreneur circles for more than thirty seconds, you’ve probably run into someone who swears by the Pomodoro technique, the “25 minutes on, five minutes off” approach developed by then-university student Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s.
Pomodoro is certainly one of the more digestible and approachable techniques for attention management. But it’s not the only way to work smart. If you have to disconnect every half hour on the half-hour, are you ever even finding your flow in the first place?
A better workflow might be to find your ultradian rhythm instead.
Ultradian Rhythm: 90 Minutes On, 30 Minutes Off
Don’t just take it from me. Let’s look at the science.
While researching sleep patterns and circadian rhythm in the 1950s, scientists Eugene Aserinsky, Nathaniel Kleitman, and William C. Dement noticed how the principles of REM sleep also applied to wakefulness. They found that, in addition to circadian rhythm, the body also cycles through “ultradian rhythms” in ninety-minute increments.
I trust the scientist who lived to be 104, personally. Ultradian rhythms rely on your endocrine system’s hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis to manage energy. This is yet another reason to reject hustle culture; stress, grind, and sleeplessness disrupt your hormones and make it harder to naturally find your flow state.
You don’t need dopamine fasting or magic supplements. You need to take a nap.
Don’t Be More Productive. Be More Focused
When you’re focused, you’re in flow. And when you’re in flow, your work is not only faster, but also is much higher in quality.
Here are some tips to help you get into flow state more quickly.
Put to-dos into a clear sequence. This is called “relative prioritization.” A rule of thumb that’s worked for me, taken from Brian Tracy’s Focal Point, is to ask yourself what one task you’d take care of now if you suddenly had to go off the grid for a month. Repeat for each task to line up your to-dos.
Identify your strengths. Gallup’s CliftonStrengths research notes that employees who feel they’re operating in their zone are more likely to be engaged at work and report having an excellent quality of life. Knowing your sweet spot can help you identify not only what to prioritize, but also what to delegate or eliminate altogether.
Stop over-engineering replies. Many of us stay plugged in all the time to try and think ahead. We look at work emails all weekend to prepare how we’re going to respond on Monday morning. This robs you of mental rest, and without sufficient rest, flow state will always remain fleeting.
The Takeaway
Ultradian rhythm is your built-in productivity superpower. It’s even gluten-free! But unlocking it requires that you try different approaches and figure out what works for you.
Test out different workflows, find your sweet spot, and balance focus with rest to discover the right focus formula for you. ◆
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Nick Wolny is an editor, journalist, and consultant based in Los Angeles. He is currently senior editor at CNET and the finance columnist for Out Magazine.
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