The Pomodoro Technique for Studying: A Guide for Students
You sit down to study for your test tomorrow and within 20 minutes of studying, you have already looked at your phone and got a snack. So, honestly, you haven’t studied for 20 minutes. Does the thought of studying overwhelm you? Because most middle schoolers have not fully developed their time management skills, studying can be hard to navigate. What if there was a study technique that keeps you focused and gives you breaks? The Pomodoro Technique sets manageable time blocks for studying.
What Is the Pomodoro Technique?
Francesco Cirillo developed the Pomodoro Technique in the 1980s after suffering what most college students were suffering from while studying: fatigue, social distractions, and procrastination. He needed help managing short blocks of time to break his assignments into. He used a tomato (“pomodoro” in Italian) kitchen timer to set the amount of time he would study before taking a break. Here is what he did:
25 minutes: Focus on one task
5 minutes: Take a break
Repeat: Complete 2-4 cycles
15–30 minutes: Take a longer break
How Can Pomodoro Technique Help Students
To use the Pomodoro Technique properly, start with a manageable amount of time for you focus on the work you’d like to accomplish. You may want to start with 20 minutes. This technique will guide you through breaking up your larger assignments into smaller chunks, allowing you to see exactly how much time you need for studying or completing your work. If you like to procrastinate, this will help you get started and reward you. By rewarding yourself with opportunities to step away, you are giving yourself and your brain a reset.
Because your brain learns best in short, focused sessions rather than long cramming sessions, it’s best to use this technique for studying, projects and regular homework.
Step 1: Remove distractions (phone, friends, etc) and find a quiet space to work.
Step 2: Plan out how you want to chunk your studying or assignment. Give yourself a reasonable amount of material to work through.
Step 3: Set a timer and study or complete work for 25 minutes. Be actively learning (create a study guide, quiz yourself, etc)
Step 4: Break for 5 minutes. Step away from your work area.
Repeat this for a total of 2-4 times as needed. At the end of your subject’s work or material you studied, take a longer break before diving into the next subject.
Tips for Being Successful
If you are actively engaged in reading a passage or working through math problems when the timer goes off, do not stop. Finish what you are working on and stop a few minutes past the time.
When on a break, set a timer. You can easily get lost on your phone or watching a video. Be intentional with sticking to only 5 minutes.
Adjust the timing of your Pomodoros as needed. Some students may be able to study longer than 20 minutes while others may need to only do 15 before taking a break.
The Pomodoro Technique is not a magic study technique. What students DO within the Pomodoro time is most important for this to be an effective study tool.