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The Pomodoro Technique Is Overrated — Try These 3 Focus Alternatives That Actually Worked for Me
For a long time, I believed the Pomodoro Technique was the golden rule of productivity.
You know the method: 25 minutes of deep work, followed by a 5-minute break.
Everyone raved about it — YouTubers, productivity blogs, and even some of my academic friends.
So I gave it a shot.
And then another.
And then another.
But here’s the truth I didn’t want to admit at first: Pomodoro didn’t work for me. In fact, it often made things worse.
🍅 The Problem with Pomodoro (for me)
When I was deep into writing my thesis or editing a long article, that 25-minute timer would go off right when I was entering flow.
I’d be mid-sentence, fully engaged, brain firing — and then ding!
Break time.
Except I didn’t want a break. I wanted to keep going. But the structure made me feel guilty for ignoring it.
Other days, I’d barely get into the task and the 25 minutes would drag like forever. And when the break came? I’d scroll on my phone and lose momentum entirely.
