The original technique has six steps: • Going back to Step 2 and repeating until one completes four pomodori. • After four pomodori are done, one takes a long break (typically 20 to 30 minutes) instead of a short break. Once the long break is finished, one returns to step 2. For the purposes of the technique, a
pomodoro is an interval of work time A goal of the technique is to reduce the effect of internal and external interruptions of
attention and
flow. A pomodoro is indivisible; when interrupted during a Pomodoro, either the other activity must be recorded and postponed (using the
inform — negotiate — schedule — call back strategy) or the Pomodoro must be abandoned. After task completion in a Pomodoro, one is supposed to devote any remaining time to activities such as: • Reviewing the work one just completed (optional). • Reviewing the activities from a learning point of view (example: What learning objective did one accomplish? What learning outcome did one accomplish? Did one fulfill their learning target, objective, or outcome for the task?) • Reviewing the list of upcoming tasks for the next planned Pomodoro time blocks, and starting to reflect on or update them. Cirillo suggests: The stages of planning, tracking, recording, processing and visualizing are fundamental to the technique. In the planning phase, tasks are prioritized by recording them in a
"To Do Today" list, enabling users to
estimate the effort they will require. As Pomodori are completed, they are recorded, adding to a sense of accomplishment and providing raw data for subsequent self-observation and improvement. ==Tools==