Have you ever felt unproductive? Like you need to get a grip on your time? Ever banged your head against a wall for hours, fingers aching from retyping the code hundreds of times in futile attempt to solve that annoying bug? Well, maybe you need a break...

The pomodoro technique has become quite famous, and its simplicity is probably the main reason. However, simply reading about the technique (even from a 40+ page PDF) won't give you a taste of how effective it can be.

Now, before I show you this app, you need to know what Pomodoro is. Pomodoro, which means 'tomato' in Italian, is a time-management technique which is based on brief sprints of 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. Now this timing is very convenient because a single 25+5 pomodoro is a total of 30 minutes. So if you plan to work, say, 4 hours, you automatically know that there are 8 tomatoes in there. (Incidentally, the 'tomato' is the shape of a timer that was used by the 'inventor' of Pomodoro technique.)

I've used this technique back in Windows days and it was quite effective. But you don't want to be watching at a timer all the time. You want something automatic that will simply lock you out when the pomodoro run is finished. Now, you may think that being interrupted in middle of work is not particularly nice. The bottom line is it works for some people. And then again, it doesn't work for others.

The main reason it works for me is that it enables sustained high concentration on work. When I start working on something, I usually have a period of time when my mind is focusing. Once I get focused, I will be able to maintain it for less than 40 minutes. So, when the 40 minutes is up, I lose my concentration and my work becomes sloppy.

So why the 25 minute break then? Why not 40? Well, because when I reach the 40 minute mark, my concentration already started to diminish. So, I cut the work period short enough to break before that happens. The 5 minute break is actually quite long in a 30 minute time frame, but it is short enough to keep the flow going. While on break, the brain is not concerned with eye-finger coordination and other distractions you have when you are at the computer, but it is also still highly-focused on the problem, and you get things done inside your mind even when you are on break. Therefore you don't loose anything at all when interrupted.

Using this technique, there are times I can solve problems in a totally different way than I thought I would before the break.

If you are using Linux, there is a very nice application that can give you exactly what it takes for an effective Pomodoro-based time management. What I use is the Workrave. (Before you ask, yes, it's in Arch Linux community repository.)

Using workrave is quite simple. You set your timers by opening the preferences.

Timer preferences

I first disable the micro-break timer. Then set the rest-break timer to 25 minute period with 5 minute break. I also set the total working hours to 4. People usually work 5 hours using this technique, and that applies even if you work 8-hour days. The 3 remaining hours can be used for e-mails, meetings and other things people usually do during work to distract themselves (and ultimately get fired). I use the 4-hour working day because I use Pomodoro only when I work at home. At work, it is simply impossible.

The timer is automatically started when you open Workrave, and there is no way to reset the tmer apart from closing the application, but its functionality is otherwise complete. During work, it can show you a small window which shows you the progress.

Mini progress window

It also shows you a small progress bar in the system tray. The tray progress bar is what I prefer so I keep the progress mini-window closed.

System tray progress bar

When break-time starts, you can simply stop working, or you can postpone the break. I highly recommend the former, because that is the point of this technique. You are also presented with a series of exercises to counter the nasty effects of working on a computer. I myself prefer dancing to the music (seriously). Plus it is crucial to actually not be near the computer when on break, so reading the instructions and following the exercises might not be beneficial for the practicioners of the Pomodoro.

This application is a GTK app. So if you are using KDE, it might pull in software you don't want as dependencies. However, I have never seen an application for KDE that would do the same thing as Workrave.

So there you have it. Give Workrave and the Pomodoro a go, and you'll probably notice a huge boost in productivity.