5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for both beginner and advanced Pomodoro Technique practitioners

B.S. · April 10, 2012

As the first book after Cirillo's original masterpiece dedicated to the Pomodoro Techique in it's entirety, Swedish Software Programmer cum Pomodoro guru Staffan Nöteberg's Pomodoro Technique Illustrated escaped my notice for 2 years. Better late than never, I ordered my copy, set my Beloved It's Pomodoro Time to 7 Pomodori and I read on!First of all, this is a respectable effort in every which way: Nöteberg blends a good amount of practical Pomodoro experience with secondary research on human brain, psychology, and various cognitive theories to appraise the technique from all sorts of angles. In doing so, Nöteberg not only lays a strong foundation for future Pomodoro researchers, but also widens the practical appeal of the technique as he shows it to be highly compatible with the findings of cutting edge research in time management.Along the way, Nöteberg makes quite a few unique contributions to the Pomodoro practice. I found his "Now" list particularly useful. Like most intuitive things that make you go "How come I didn't think about this?", "to-do now" list points at the obvious: Build a manageable daily to-do list and add your top priority task to your 1-task-only "now" list. And then just do it. Simple, eh? Like loading a gun with a single bullet and then firing it...Nöteberg addresses every imaginable aspect of Pomodoro practice including tools, management of break and Pomodoro periods, group work, effort estimations, handling interruptions, managing your task list, and many others with a friendly yet authoritative voice. The book is full of sound, practical advice delivered crisply and concisely that would serve both novice and expert Pomodoro practitioners equally well. I'd like to quote a few here:-"...working overtime is like shopping with a credit card. With it, you buy things you can't afford right now"-"with the pomodoro technique, rating 25 minutes of effort as a success gives us immediate feedback"-"focused, quality work is the goal of the Pomodoro, and a focused, quality relaxation isthe goal of the break"-"never switch activities in the middle of a Pomodoro"-"when you estimate that an activity will take more than seven Pomodori, the it's too complex. You'll need to break down the activity"I found a few topics in the book, such as his emphasis on constant reassessment (just how many times a day can you set strategic goals?) and Recording & Processing begging a bit more clarification.Finally, there is something to be said about the eye-catching illustrations on virtually every single page of the book. They are so cute that it hurts - possibly reflecting the playful and intiutve nature of the Pomodoro Technique. Well done Mr. Nöteberg!

5.0 out of 5 stars More Effective than I thought it would be

C.R. · April 22, 2018

I've heard about Pomodoro for years but never really looked into it because it just sounded so obvious... You set a timer and work until time's up. Duh. That's how we've all been doing things since our moms set the kitchen timer and told us we had to sit there and work until it went off. Nothing revolutionary about that.But it's a few details that for me made all the difference and I didn't understand those details until I read this book. One is that a Pomodoro is atomic. For any non-science people that means that if you try to break it into a smaller piece, it explodes. This helped me immensely with getting things done. Zero interruptions allowed because that would explode the Pomodoro, which helps me focus for the whole time. My kids really took to this concept and finally stopped interrupting when I work from home. I use a Time Timer so they can see if I'm in a Pomodoro and not "explode" it.Another concept that helped me immensely was gauging success not on how much I produce but how many Pomodori I complete. It makes sense that if I'm maintaining really focused work, I can feel successful even if I'm not finished. This has been revolutionary for me. I hate doing my computer work. I've discovered it takes me about 4 Pomodori to complete a week's worth of my least favorite task. I always felt drained by how long it can take. And some parts take longer than others and then I get discouraged. Now I just focus on completing those 4 Pomodori and with each one I feel proud of myself for focusing that long.I'd recommend this book to someone who isn't sure if the Pomodoro technique is for you... Because it might be!

4.0 out of 5 stars Pomodoros explained with nice-looking illustrations

B.V. · May 15, 2014

The Pomodoro Technique Illustrated is a small little book about a simple personal time-management techniques called "Pomodoro". It was invented by Francesco Cirillo (who does a foreword) and involves small 25 minute time-periods called Pomodoros in which you intensely focus followed by a short break. The technique asks you to measure your focus so you can reflect and improve.The Pomodoro Illustrated book consists of seven chapters. The first two chapters sort-of provide the background. Especially chapter two covers a lot of ground but all very brief and shallow, but does give some background on why the Pomodoro technique works. Chapter 3 is the actual Pomodoro explanation and then chapter 4 and 5 explain how to deal with interruptions and give some hints on estimation. Chapter 6 talks about whether and how you should adapt the Pomodoro technique and chapter 7 closes the book with some ideas on how you could apply it in a team context.The book is short and easy to read (the technique isn't very hard). Each of the pages comes with an illustration that explains or clarifies the concept describes (or provides some fun). The illustrations make the book quite special. Based on the content of the book, I'd probably rate it at 3 stars as it does what it should do but didn't feel incredibly special. Considering the illustrations, I've bumped up the rating to 4 as the illustrations do make the book special.All in all a simply book and if you want to know about using Pomodoros for managing your own time, then this book will be for you. If you've read another description, then do think twice because the book will give you some additional information but doesn't surprise much in the technique as the technique is just incredibly simple. Nice job.

Short, simple and highly effective

J.H. · May 24, 2010

The pomodoro technique is simple and highly effective. I learnt it from this book and it has greatly improved my productivity. The basics of the technique are very simple: choose something to do, set a timer for 25 minutes, do that thing and nothing else until the timer goes off. When the timer goes off, stop what you are doing, take a break that doesn't involve any mental activity for a few minutes, repeat.Of course there is more to it than that. Along with the more detailed mechanics there are notes on why you need it, how to plan your day and analyse your performance at the end of the day. How to deal with the many and varied interruptions both of our own making and of others that make this technique both initially difficult and rewarding as you cope with them. Finally how to adapt it to your own needs and how to use it when working with others, say if pair programming.This book is short and easy to read. The top third of every page is taken up with one of Staffan's very nice hand drawn pictures and the text is simple and succinct. I've really enjoyed other books on the 'Pragmatic Bookshelf' such as 'Practices of an Agile Developer' and 'Ship It!', and this is a great addition.

great illustrations, well presented

A.C. · March 27, 2017

charming, insightful. more than a to do book. great illustrations, well presented . better than average business book.

The Pomodoro Technique

L. · February 1, 2017

Excellent and easily understood overview of the technique.I am retired but can easily see how I can adapt this to various activities.

It gives extra information and background of the Pomodoro technique.

D.C. · January 6, 2019

It is a good guide and it goes beyond to the original book but it's too expensive for what it is.

Powerful technique!

J.D. · August 28, 2015

I have tried many ways and read many books about increasing my productivity but this is the only one which bridges very well the theory & practice! I can sense the pomodoro technique will have a big impact in my life. I'm in the process of applying the lessons learned and must say it is not easy to master it, but I will get there!!