✨ Why did I create a Pomodoro Timer?

Try it here: Aesthetic Pomodoro Timer

Since I can remember, I have struggled with sitting down, focusing on a specific topic, and working on it without interruption, especially when I did not choose the subject by myself or was not interested in it in the first place. This was especially painful for me in school, as I was never really interested in many classes or homework, so it always took me extra time.

Yet, I knew I had to find a way to actually finish work. I knew I could not always choose what I wanted to work on and needed to finish it. So that is why I implemented strategies at a very young age (around 13 to 14 years old) by myself, as I knew I likely needed to write and do specific work that I would be bored of for probably the rest of my life, such as physics homework, certain aspects of my work life, or filing taxes.

I realised what truly matters is my environment, especially in my room. I made sure that the focus in my room was my desk. So whenever I enter my room, I am enticed to sit on the chair and start my work. For this, I ensured my workplace was my room's focal point. I regularly cleaned my table, bookshelf, etc., to always have space to work. I made sure that my desk chair was the most comfortable chair so that I am automatically always sitting on it and feel the urge to start my boring homework.

Lastly, I moved all of the interesting things that might distract me, such as a comic magazines, my computer, or smartphone, out of my room, so when I do the work, I do not get sidetracked and start to play with it. And I realised that I needed background music to keep me focused, as I quickly drifted off. For this I often used a radio back in the days.

Over the years, I realised I need the following factors to truly get stuff done well and quickly, despite my inhabitation of being unconcentrated:

1. Good sleep
2. Good, healthy food
3. Good workout, like in the gym
4. Silence
5. Good chair and desk
6. Calm background music
7. Splitting up work in digestible pieces and set many tiny milestones
8. Find ways to make myself interested in the topic
9. Understand that the beginning is the most difficult time to focus and work. In order to get good, I need to do the boring work consistently and go deep into it to better understand and like it. The better I get at something, the more I understand and the more fun it is.
10. Take frequent 2-minute breaks after every ca. 30 minutes

Over the years, I realised that Lofi helps me a lot to focus and that a Pomodoro timer helps me to break up my work into digestible pieces.

🍅 The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a valuable time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It breaks work into focused 25-minute intervals called Pomodoro (which means tomatoes in Italian), followed by short 5–10 minute breaks. After four pomodori, you take a more extended break of 20–30 minutes.

The goal is:

1. Choose a task.
2. Set a 25-minute timer.
3. Work until the timer rings.
4. Take a short break.
5. Repeat, taking a more extended break after every four pomodori.

With Pomodoro, I can stay focused on working on what matters and moving the needle, and Lofi helps me avoid getting distracted.

🎵 My Aesthetic Pomodoro Timer

For this, I have built an Aesthetic Pomodoro Timer. You can set your preferred time for Pomodoro, Short Breaks, and Long Breaks. Once the timer is up, you will hear a beeping sound at the end. Additionally, you can change the background images to fit your current vibe or feeling. Lastly, you will have access to my favourite Lofi music. I especially love Upbeat, but Limitless is also great.

Lastly, one could debate all these above points and say that forcing oneself to change their environment just for tedious work is unnatural, especially in my case, since I often did not enjoy it. One should break out of this "golden prison" and do only the things they like or that are at least more humane, like focusing on a career in gardening or becoming a tradesperson, as in my case I am very pragmatic and a hands-on person. One should not bow down to the inhumane way of modern life and make use of their body more, or at least break out of this seemingly unhealty lifestyle. I often asked myself this question, especially once I had to write these unnecessary long papers with massive time pressures in my Master's studies at the University of Cambridge.

Yet, we are all thrown into this life; into these specific circumstances we call our own. We start to believe things without concrete proof that they are true or false. We run after things and strive for certain things, but will this truly give us what we seek?

We could also refuse societal pressures or give in, but in my case, I learned that if I make decisions based on my instincts and gut feeling, I am usually happy about my decision. And I felt that making this Aesthetic Pomodoro Timer on a hot June day in Zurich might help someone out there finish their boring work successfully.

Feel free to play around with the Pomodoro Timer, and if you have any feedback, please let me know.