The Pomodoro Technique is the superstar of the productivity method world because its premise—that you work hard for 25 minutes and then reward yourself with a few minutes of rest—is effective and appealing. But that doesn’t mean it works perfectly for everyone. Like anything, it’s adaptable. Try the flowtime technique if you find that 25-minute work sessions with five-minute cool-downs aren’t cutting it for you.
Does Pomodoro really work for flow? (thanks Huberman)
The flowtime technique is a variation on Pomodoro and is based on the same principles: you work for a while and then take a break. The difference is that you decide how long the work and play time lasts. Sometimes called “flowmodoro,” this method is also about keeping you in the zone on a task, and enticing you to do deep work by using the purpose of a break to keep you going.
The key here is the uninterrupted work you do while you’re looking for that break. Similar to Pomodoro, you need to stay focused on one task for the entire duration of your grind time, rather than doing a little work, checking your phone, typing some more, checking your email, etc. The only way flow time is really different is that you control how long you work, rather than relying on the “25 on, 5 off” framework. With Pomodoro, you’re more strict and typically use a timer to make sure you keep working and not checking your phone. You may think you don’t need the timer with the flow time technique, but you should use one with a stopwatch function to keep track of how long you end up working and keep it handy for days when you need the extra structure of the timer itself. In fact, once you’ve completed a few days of flow time and figured out your own work habits with the stopwatch, you’ll want the timer so you can set it up in personalized increments.
The downside of using flowtime instead of Pomodoro is the same as the upside: you decide how long you work. While the Pomodoro technique is simple and tells you exactly how long you can work and play, setting your own personal flowtime requires a bit more work. You’ll need about a week to figure it out before you actually put it into practice.
