Or do you sometimes find you have a hard time staying focused on your work? Does it seem like you work a lot, but you’re often spinning your wheels, instead of completing your most important tasks?

I’ve felt the same way. Since I recently took my freelance writing business full-time, I’ve had to figure out a better way to manage my work hours.

One strategy that’s made a huge difference in my workflow is the Pomodoro Technique. Breaking my work into manageable chunks using this method helps me accomplish more in a day than I thought possible, while keeping me focused and preventing burnout.

Here’s how I use the Pomodoro Technique to improve my writing productivity — and how you can, too.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

This time-management method was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.

The idea behind the technique is people can only stay hyper-focused on a task or subject for a finite period of time — generally about 90 minutes. Instead of trying to sit at your desk from 9 to 5 (or whatever hours you currently keep), it makes more sense to break up your day into sections. The technique calls these chunks of time “pomodori,” and each one is known as a “pomodoro.”

Each pomodoro includes 25 minutes of focused time, followed by a five-minute break. Most sources suggest linking three or four pomodori together (with those five-minute breaks in between sessions), and then taking a longer break of 20 to 30 minutes. Lather, rinse and repeat.

Set your timer using your phone, a stopwatch or a regular clock, or download one of several dedicated Pomodoro Technique apps and timers. I’ve used and like this free timer, though I’ve had to mute its annoying ticking sound.

How to get started with Pomodoro

Before launching into your first pomodoro, list your tasks for the day, with the most important ones at the top. Select your two or three most important tasks (MITs): the ones whose completion would make your day a success, regardless of what else you accomplished.

I always make sure I spend my morning hours (or pomodori) writing, whether I’m working on client work or my own blog posts. I try to leave email and social media work until later in the day, as challenging as that can sometimes be.

Here’s a sample schedule for an eight-hour workday, with 12 defined tasks (or pomodori) and a lunch break. Remember, each pomodoro includes 25 minutes of work time and a five-minute break.

9:00-9:30 Write article

9:30-10:00 Write article

10:00-10:30 Write article

10:30-11:00 Long break

11:00-11:30 Check email

11:30-12:00 Blog outreach

12:00-12:30 Search job boards and pitch new clients

12:30-1:30 Long break for lunch

1:30-2:00 Social media promotion

2:00-2:30 Write article or brainstorm new post ideas

2:30-3:00 Write article or brainstorm new post ideas

3:00-3:30 Long break

3:30-4:00 Check email

4:00-4:30 Coursework or nonfiction reading

4:30-5:00 Social media promotion

Document your accomplishments

This isn’t an essential part of using this method, but it’s a great way to see how your efficiency and hard work are paying off.

If you’re using an app or web-based timer, you may be able to track your tasks within its interface. For example, freelancer and entrepreneur Brennan Dunn loves that his app of choice encourages him to write down what he did during each pomodoro.

Tracking could also be as simple as making a check mark next to each pomodoro on your schedule, or writing a few quick notes in a Word or Google Doc. Either way, looking back on your day and seeing what you achieved can help keep you motivated and productive.

What to do with your five-minute breaks

Since many of us spend too much time in front of our computers and not enough time being active, use these five minute breaks to get up, move around and stretch your body. They’re a great time to take a bathroom break, get a cup of water, coffee or tea, or make a quick snack.

Since I have two toddlers and find it hard to fit exercise into my day, I use many of my five-minute breaks to do this no-equipment-necessary workout. I’ve found exercise helps me recharge before starting my next pomodoro, but you might also want to try meditating, journaling or having a quick conversation with a friend.

Avoid checking email or social media during your five-minute breaks. Both tasks can become black holes, and it’s easy to slip into a “just five more minutes” mentality when you’re facing an overflowing inbox.

However, checking your email or Twitter feed means you’re not necessarily taking a break from work (or your computer screen). Instead, use the five minutes to walk away from your work and do something that helps you recharge.

Shoot for progress, not perfection

Using the Pomodoro Technique to manage the structure of your day can help you cross more tasks off your list.

Aim be more productive overall, rather than trying to be perfect. Ending a pomodoro a few minutes early or working a couple of minutes past your timer isn’t the end of the world. Neither is finding that you can only complete one or two pomodoros in a day before having to switch to another strategy to complete your tasks.

If you’ve found yourself at the end of your day with little to show for it, why not give this method a try?

Have you tried the Pomodoro Technique? How did it work for you?

Course: Find Your Freelance Writing Niches: Make More Money for Less Work

About the creator: John Soares has been a full-time freelance writer since 1994. He is most known for ProductiveWriters.com, his main website for freelance writers, and his main niche is writing for higher education companies.

Price: $20

Who It’s For: New and seasoned freelance writers alike.

What It Will Help You Do: The course explains why you should specialize, then guides you through the process of choosing niches that offer you the best chance of success.

What’s Included: A three-part ebook and six exercises to help you implement what you learn.

Part One (10 pages): Why You Should Specialize. This section examines all the advantages of being a specialist, plus looks at why most generalists don’t get paid as well as specialists do.

Part Two (6 pages): How to Choose Your Niches. You get detailed guidance on how to mine your own experience and interests to find the niches likely to make you the most money.

Part Three (9 pages): What to Do Now. This section helps you to develop a game plan to move forward once you’ve determined your niches.

The Best Part: Doing the exercises forced me to go deeper and brainstorm some niche areas that I hadn’t considered before, like writing about parenting. I’ve got two toddlers and I’m not sure whom I consider an expert in parenting (therapists, pediatricians, etc.?), but I felt like I had to be one in order to write about it.

I think it’s easy for writers to feel that way about subjects we’re interested in, but it doesn’t have to hold us back. I’ve started by writing (for free) for Liberating Working Moms and have some paid projects coming up talking about pregnancy, birth, infancy, etc. I think I limit myself more than anything!

What Would Make It Even Better: There were a few instances where John said to “Google something” or go somewhere else for more information, but didn’t provide a link. A link as a starting point would be helpful, but I don’t like when I’m reading a book about how to do something and the author tells me to do more research; that’s why I’m here!

He also refers to his “success resources page” quite a bit and tells the reader to go there for more information. Again, that’s why I bought this book.

How It Changed My Life: As I alluded to above, I think the biggest growth I’ve had is in reevaluating my niches and the self-imposed limitations I’ve put on my writing subjects. Some of my niches were givens — for instance, my background is in personal finance, so it’s a natural fit.

I also solidified several other niche options I hadn’t previously considered. Going forward, I plan to focus on finance, health and fitness, parenting and freelancing. Even though these are my “primary niches,” I’m not going to limit myself to only seeking out jobs in these areas. It is important to specialize, but it’s also important to stay open to learning new things and using different writing muscles.

Our Recommendation: Overall, the course was a good read, priced right and would be great for a writer who feels lost when it comes to the niches he should focus on or which potential niches he should consider trying.

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