Pomodoro method for studying: what to do in 25 minutes?

What is the Pomodoro method?

A pomodoro is a timed block of work, followed by a break. The best-known version chains 25 minutes of work and about 5 minutes of break; after four blocks, you take a longer break, often 15 to 30 minutes. During a block, you do only one task.

The method comes from Francesco Cirillo. His official website says he started developing it in the 1980s, when he was a student, with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro, in Italian). The same site presents it as much more than a series of 25-minute sessions: you plan your tasks, note interruptions and the effort actually put in.

What should you put in a studying pomodoro?

The timer changes nothing about the method used during the block. A 2013 review (Dunlosky et al.) ranks testing yourself and spreading your work over time among the most useful techniques; rereading and highlighting are among the least useful. So fill your blocks with activities where you have to retrieve the information.

Before starting the timer, write the block’s task in one line, with a result you can check when the bell rings. “Study bio” doesn’t tell you when you’re done. “Answer from memory the ten questions of the cell chapter, then correct” does.

• Answering a multiple-choice quiz or flashcards without looking at the course.
• Writing on a blank sheet everything you know about a chapter, then comparing with the course.
• Redoing, without the correction, an exercise you missed the day before.
• Explaining a notion out loud as if to a younger student.

How do you run a Pomodoro session step by step?

Example of a two-hour session on a biology chapter, to adjust to your level. First block: you write from memory everything you know about the chapter, then compare with the course. Second block: a corrected multiple-choice quiz where you read each explanation. Third block: you go back over your mistakes and turn them into flashcards. Fourth block: an exercise in the exam format, followed by the long break.

Cirillo’s site presents breaks as part of the practice, not as a reward. When studying, they also serve to note in one line what’s still unclear before the next block.

• Step 1: write the block’s task on a sheet, with a checkable result.
• Step 2: put your phone away or turn off its notifications, then set the timer to 25 minutes.
• Step 3: work on this single task; note in the margin any idea that comes up, for later.
• Step 4: when the bell rings, stop and note what you got right and what you missed.
• Step 5: take a real break of about 5 minutes, standing if possible, away from social media.
• Step 6: after four blocks, take a longer break.

25/5 or 50/10: which length should you choose for studying?

The 25 minutes are a starting point. The official site also invites you to make small adjustments and observe their effects. For an essay or a math problem, 25 minutes sometimes cut off your momentum at the wrong time: a format of 50 minutes of work for 10 minutes of break suits these long tasks better.

When you struggle to start or you’re tired, 15-minute blocks make the first step less heavy. Keep the same setting for a few days before judging whether it suits you.

Researchers at Maastricht University (Biwer et al., 2023) split 87 students into three groups during a day of independent work: free breaks, a 6-minute break every 24 minutes, or a 3-minute break every 12 minutes. The fixed-break groups reported less fatigue and distraction, more concentration and motivation, and finished as much work. The study covers a single day and a small group: take it as a clue.

The pitfalls of Pomodoro during exam period

Counting pomodoros quickly becomes a goal in itself. Eight blocks of highlighted rereading make a nice total and few memories. At the end of the day, ask yourself instead what you can redo without opening the course.

The break is the other weak point. Five minutes on a social network easily stretches to twenty, and the next block starts with your head elsewhere: stand up and move away from the screen. Also plan real breaks during the day, meals included.

If you keep putting off getting started, Pomodoro can serve as a way in. Promise yourself a single block, with a short, precise task, then decide when the bell rings whether to start a second one.

Filling your pomodoros with Fichea

Fichea has no built-in timer: keep the one on your phone, with notifications off. From your course, you can generate a quiz of 1 to 24 questions, with an explanation for each question; about ten corrected questions is a good starting point for a 25-minute block.

In the next block, open the review of your attempt’s mistakes and turn the ones that matter into flashcards. The features and volumes available depend on your plan.

Frequently asked questions