The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most popular productivity techniques and has an advantage over other concentration methods in that its essence is very simple: 25 minutes of productivity and 5 minutes of restThe problem is to report it without going crazy or wasting more time doing accounting than working.
That’s why there are all kinds of apps to track pomodoro times. In my case, I realized that it was much more useful for me to recycle an old cell phone exclusively for this purpose.
A Pomodoro clock on my old phone
Trying the pomodoro technique has become a kind of tradition for me. I’ve been trying for years and finally gave up after finishing a few tomatoes. The solution wasn’t in front of me, but in the drawer: use an old cell phone as a timer.
Since I often have to use my cell phone while working, using an app to track work and rest times from my own cell phone quickly became a small disaster. that’s me much more comfortable with another mobile and thus have the counter always visible, being able to easily see if in the 2 minutes remaining before the break I have to start a new task or wait for the next cycle.
There are many, many Pomodoro apps for Androidalthough after trying a few, I ironically ended up going with the one without a tomato name, Focus To Do, because it’s simple while having a few extra features when you start to get the hang of this tomato thing.
Focus To Do has two styles for the clock that appears as a screensaver
What made me choose this application is mainly its Full screen mode that turns any cell phone into a timer. It is an extremely intuitive application, so with just one touch you can add an extra minute or pause the cycle.
I started like this and over time I explored some of the additional features of the app, like the ability to create and schedule tasks. What I like is that you can create a task and estimate how many pomodoros it will take, and we already know that not everything in life can be accomplished in 25 minutes.
Another positive point is that I can configure different sections of the application, from its appearance and background sound (which I disabled because it was more distracting than anything else). For now, I’m sticking with the default setting, but I’m sure many people will want to change the duration of pomodoros or breaks. All of this is possible from the settings.
I’m still new to making tomatoes, but using another phone with the time always on, I can leave visible on a supportmakes it much more enjoyable than any other time I’ve tried the technique.
I’m happy with Focus To Do, but as we mentioned before, there are tons of similar apps out there. If you prefer something different, here you have more options:
- Pomocat: A kitten timer for those who want something extremely adorable.
- Forest: This timer starts as a seed that grows into a plant and tree as you progress, with a very neat design.
- Minimalist Pomodoro Timer: Very minimalistic and a good option if your old phone is running low on power.
- Pomodoro Timer: A colorful Pomodoro app where you can set daily goals, with easy setup.
So far, my “mobile pomodoro” fulfills both premises: helping me focus on a task and remind me to take breaks from time to time. Better than using the kitchen timer.
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