Key Takeaways
- The Pomodoro technique combats the "sawtooth effect" of productivity loss caused by frequent interruptions in modern work life.
- The technique was invented by an Italian who used a tomato-shaped kitchen egg timer — "pomodoro" is Italian for tomato.
- The core rule is to work on one single task for 25 minutes without interruption, then take a 5-minute break.
- After four Pomodoro units, a longer break is recommended to restore focus and energy.
- Notifications on smartphones and PCs — including social media (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) — are a major source of distraction; deactivating them is the most important first step.
- A VIP email notification setting lets urgent messages still come through while blocking general distraction.
- The Focus Time app (by Peer Assembly, one-time fee of €5.99) is recommended for iPhone and iPad as a Pomodoro timer with category tracking.
- You can categorise work into blocks (e.g. writing, business, finances) and track how many Pomodoros you spend on each topic per day, week, or month.
- Processing emails in one block at the end of the day — rather than constantly checking in between — is a key productivity habit supported by the Pomodoro approach.
- A Stream Deck application for Focus Time is also available for those who use that hardware.
Introduction
Nice to have you with us again for another episode of Digital4Productivity. And today I'm going to give you a productivity hack, namely the Pomodoro technique.
Maybe one or the other already knows this technique and for those who know you, I also have an app tip on how you might be able to implement it.
Basic idea
What is the basic idea? The basic idea is that we are frequently interrupted in our everyday working lives and we need up to 20 minutes to get back to our previous level of productivity. Lothar Seibert described this very aptly in his famous book Mehr Zeit fürs Wesentlichen (More Time for the Essentials) as the so-called sawtooth effect, namely I have always found that the attention curve goes up and down and you are simply much more productive when you work on something in one go. Has modern digitalization made this easier? I have observed that it has become more difficult, especially with smartphones. That's because most people not only have all these notifications on their PC all the time, ringing, chiming and honking, but also on their smartphone now and in times of Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram etc., we naturally can't resist this red number of social media services and notifications. That's why the most important tip for me is to always deactivate all notifications. Of course there are important emails, but there is a VIP function for that. And for the email recipients who are VIPs for me, I have switched on a notification so that I then see the red number. But even that often leads to me saying that I have to get straight to it and I admit to myself that I like to be distracted. And I work on something, I have thousands of ideas and then I jump back and forth. And the idea of Pomodoro was invented by someone who simply set himself an egg timer that he had in the kitchen. And the one he had in his kitchen was shaped like a tomato, it was an Italian and he had the pomodoro technique because he had an egg timer in the shape of a tomato. He set it to 25 minutes or 20 minutes and said, "I'll keep at this one task until it rattles. Then I take a five-minute break, then I turn it again and stay on it again. So on such time slices. And I've just recently realized that I've recently written another book. You can look forward to it. It's about the effective use of digital tools. It will be published by Gabal in October. And when I was writing this book, I once again used the Pomodoro technique very consistently, saying that I should set an egg timer for 25 minutes and then stick to it for at least 25 minutes. When I was in the flow, I added a few more minutes, but not five or six hours. I also made the mistake of not taking any breaks at all. And then I might have worked for three or four hours straight. But then I was done by the afternoon. And Pomodoro is the idea of setting 25 minutes, five minutes break and the idea is that you take a longer break after four Pomodoro units and there are several apps for this. I personally recommend the Focus Time app. As always, there is of course a link in the show notes and it is from Peer Assembly and costs €5.99 once.
And the nice thing is that you can set yourself the times you want to work and take a break and how long after four sessions and after how many sessions there is a long break. I've set it to 25 / 5 and, as I said, if I realize after 25 minutes that I've just had a run, I can extend it, but not indefinitely. And when it comes to breaks, I sometimes realize that if I need longer than five minutes, that's okay too. But the most important basic idea is to work on just this one thing for at least 25 minutes. If you then come up with the golden idea during this time, you can always make a quick note of it, but then continue immediately. My experience with conceptual work like this is that you stay focused on it. You can write down certain areas or activities, which I also find very nice in this application, where you say, okay, I have a block for writing a book, I have a block for working on my business, for example, I might have a block for finances, and then you can see how many Pomodoros you have completed on which topic.
It's also great to see how long you spend working on certain topics each day, week or month. It's also a good idea to create a Pomodoro timer for emails. I always recommend working through emails en bloc at the end of the day. Then you can see how many Pomodoros you really need for the topic of emails. My experience is that the days usually fly by because you haven't planned the time for emails and because you don't block them, but because you always pop them in between. You have the combination of not planning, constantly interrupting a topic and this can be solved wonderfully with this Focus Time application. I have it on my iPhone and I think it's really nice because you can visualize it accordingly. Of course, you can also do this on the iPad or for those who have the Stream Deck, there is even the Stream Deck application for this. I personally like it quite well on the iPhone. As I said, I can highly recommend Focus Time for a one-off fee of €5.99.
Conclusion
Yes, in that sense, it was open. See where the interfaces are, where the iPad, iPhone and Digital4Productivity are, because with a tool like Focus Time, the digital tool also helps you to become more productive.
With this in mind, I wish you continued success with the productive use of technology. And next week there will be an episode specifically for tax consultants, where we will take a look at what is now possible with Microsoft 365 in DATEV. There's a whole lot more to it than you might think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro technique is a time-management method in which you work on a single task for 25 minutes without interruption, then take a 5-minute break. After four such units, you take a longer break to recharge your focus.
Where does the name "Pomodoro" come from?
The name comes from an Italian who invented the technique using a tomato-shaped kitchen egg timer. "Pomodoro" is the Italian word for tomato.
Why does being interrupted at work cost so much time?
According to the episode, it can take up to 20 minutes to return to your previous level of productivity after an interruption. This pattern — called the "sawtooth effect" — means that constant interruptions dramatically reduce overall output.
What is the biggest source of distraction in modern work?
Smartphones and PCs generate constant notifications, and social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram make it very hard to resist checking in. Deactivating all non-essential notifications is described as the single most important tip.
How do you handle urgent emails without being constantly distracted?
The recommended approach is to use a VIP email function, so that only messages from your most important contacts trigger a notification. All other emails are processed in a single focused block at the end of the day.
Which app is recommended for the Pomodoro technique?
The Focus Time app by Peer Assembly is recommended. It is available for iPhone and iPad, costs a one-time fee of €5.99, and lets you set custom work and break intervals as well as categorise and track your Pomodoros by topic.
Can you extend a Pomodoro if you are in the flow?
Yes — if you are still in a productive flow when the 25 minutes are up, you can extend the session by a few minutes. The key is not to skip breaks entirely or work for several hours straight without any pause, which leads to exhaustion.
What should you do if a new idea comes to you during a Pomodoro session?
The advice is to quickly jot the idea down and then immediately return to the current task. This way the idea is not lost, but you do not let it derail your current focus block.
How can you track how you spend your working time with Pomodoro?
The Focus Time app lets you create named categories — such as writing a book, working on your business, or handling finances — and records how many Pomodoros you complete in each category. You can then review your time distribution by day, week, or month.
Is there a Pomodoro solution for Stream Deck users?
Yes — for those who use a Stream Deck, there is a dedicated Stream Deck application that integrates with Focus Time, allowing you to control your Pomodoro timer directly from the hardware device.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- Focus Time (by Peer Assembly) – Pomodoro timer app for iPhone and iPad; one-time purchase of €5.99. Also available as a Stream Deck application.
- Stream Deck – Hardware control device; a Focus Time integration is available for it.
- iPad – The Focus Time app runs on iPad as well as iPhone.
- Microsoft 365 – Mentioned in the outlook for the next episode (Microsoft 365 in DATEV for tax consultants).
